Underestimated, unappreciated
by Ireland1
Summary: Changed title. Two people were shot and somehow related to the CSI's. NS. FINISHED!
1. Default Chapter

Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters nor do I profit when I make the characters, especially Nick and Sara, dance in my head.

A/N please tell me if I suck. I'll gladly take the (harsh) criticism. 

****

CHAPTER ONE

Nick walked in the break room. It was empty except for the sleeping figure on the couch. He didn't notice the individual but strolled across the room to get some coffee. He was humming a song to relax himself. This night is a bad night for him. Not only did his mom called to tell him that he arranged a blind date for him. It turns out that the blind date was the daughter of his mom's friends. The one he actually met and hated because she bullied him when he was young. 'She is a lot older than me. What was mom thinking? And when I told her I'm already seeing someone else, she wants to meet her. She assumed that it was Sara and he said yes to that assumption. "Yeah mom, it's Sara." What was he thinking? Now, he got to convince her to go out with him for one date with mom.' He turned around to sit on the chair and to continue to mull over his problem. That was when he saw the sleeping figure on the couch.

It was Sara.

She was sleeping like a baby and was oblivious to the world. Nick wondered if she was feeling well because she rarely appears at work tired. She appeared grouchy once but that was because she worked three straight weeks without a day-off. He sat on the chair near hers and finished his coffee. He also read the newspaper in the coffee table. A few minutes later, Sara woke up.

"Hey Sar, want some coffee?" Nick greeted. Without waiting for her answer, he stood up and poured coffee in her mug. He then gave it to her and sat down next to her.

"Thanks." Yawning, Sara smelled the sweet aroma of the coffee before drinking it.

"Are you feeling ok?" Nick after Sara seemed awake.

"Huh? Why'd you ask?" Sara replied. After all 'I do have sniffles but he doesn't need to know that right? Right!' she thought

"Nothing… It's just that… you rarely appear at work tired." He squirmed for a while. He has something to ask her and he's afraid she will refuse or be slapped. "I have a favor to ask you and I hope you will understand me…"

"What?" when he seemed to refuse to answer, she gave him her 'what-is-it-you-want-to-say' look. She continued "this is a very disconcerting attitude of yours Nick. And _there is_ something bothering you. Now you want to say something, spill it"

"You know how much mothers want their children to settle down and have families?" he started

"Yes?" 

"My mom has now laid her eyes on me as the last of her conquest on having a family. She did it to my other siblings and they are all happily married." He continued.

Eyebrows raised, she asked "What's that got to do with me?"

"Mom arranged a blind date for me-" he was about to continue when Sara interrupted "Now that's where you got that blind date thing! From your mom!"

"Not really. Anyway, my blind date was supposed to be the daughter of one of her friends. I know her when we were kids and she's 5 years older than me. She is also a selfish, manipulating bully. I hate her back then, I still hate her now!"

"It seems like she a very horrible person." Sara commented while sipping her coffee.

"She is. Now when I found out that she is the blind date, I told her I'm already seeing somebody. Which was a lie." He paused, looking at her as if he was pleading for something from her.

"You told her YOU'RE dating ME?!?!" Sara said. She was almost shouting when she said the words. "What are you going to do when I say NO to your favor?!?!?!?!" 

Nick winced. "Actually she assumed that it was you I was dating. Please? It's just for Saturday. Then I can tell my mom after three weeks that we already broke up." When Nick saw Sara's facial expression, he knew that she's going to say no.

"I'll think about it." Was Sara's only answer.

~~~~~~~~~

"Why do you look like you're scanner's broken?" Catherine asked Sara. The four of them, Warrick, Catherine, Nick and Sara were going to a crime scene. Grissom was still with Brass while Catherine and Sara were the first one who reached the door.

"Nick told his mom that he was dating me. Actually his mom assumed that it was me. Now she wants to meet me. On Saturday." Sara replied.

"What's wrong with that?" Catherine asked as she puts her kit down. 

"Just bothers me. That's all" Sara answered as they surveyed the house. It was a big house and it looked like it was still as magnificent as the day it was built.

"Nice house" Catherine remarked. "Big"

"Yeah. Why don't we come in?" a voice from behind said. It was Warrick and he opened the door for them. "Ladies?" as he motioned them to come in first.

The room that welcomed them was huge. Its center is a mahogany staircase that splits into two.

"Majestic" Sara said. As the four CSI's put on their gloves and start inspecting the place, Grissom walked in.

"Hey Gris, Brass." Nick greeted. "So, what's the sitch?"

Grissom smirked at his greeting. He apparently stumbled upon that cartoon about a green eyed, red haired cheerleader who saves the world. He found it quite amusing.

"You watch too much TV, Nicky." Grissom replied,

"What is the situation anyway? All we know is that it's burglary, 2 civilians hurt, a male and a female. Siblings." Catherine asked Brass as she watched Gil wear his gloves. The last two things she said sounded familiar to her.

"Yes. Burglary. The thieves stole these-" Brass said as referring to the list which he gave to the CSI's. "The burglars shot the kids of the owner both are 18…" he was interrupted by Catherine "They're twins?" 

"Yes. They're names are Sarah Christianna and Shane Christian" as the names were heard, Warrick, Nick, Sara and Catherine all looked surprise, shocked even. 

"Why all those expressions? Do you know them?" Grissom remarked, referring to their surprised expressions. 

"Yeah. They were the ones who found the body in the alley a year ago. Christianna was an intern CSI and Shane was an intern for a law firm" Catherine replied.

~~~~~~~~~

(a flashback)

__

"So, what do we have here?" Catherine asked Sgt. O' Riley. They were walking towards the alley, passing the onlookers, the tourists who were out late in the evening. 

"Dead body. Two civilians found it. A male and a female. Siblings. The vic's still unknown" O' Riley replied.

"Brother and sister found it together?" Catherine asked

"No. Brother found it first. Sister told him not to touch it because he's already dead." He replied.

"Do they have names?" she asked

"Yeah. Christian Shane and Sarah Christianna Johanson. And they're twins, age, seventeen. They're here for the summer." O' Riley said. "Do you want to process the scene or ask the witnesses first?" he asked.

"Let's ask them first. It's late." Catherine replied. They both went towards the kids. The girl, Christianna, was talking to her cell phone. 

"Yes dad. We're ok… we're fine no need to worry… really… You want to talk to Shane? Ok he's here…" and gave the phone to her brother.

"Dad?" the boy said. When he saw Catherine and Brass, he told the phone, "We'll be home soon… yes… Bye" 

To Catherine and O' Riley, they both looked ok with their surroundings. It was like they were through this setting a lot of times before and they don't appear afraid nor near hysteria. She noticed that even though they're supposed to be twins, they don't have the same color of hair, the girl was a red head, and the boy was blonde. And that they don't have the same color of eyes. The girl has emerald green eyes while the boy has crystal blue eyes. Both they were both tall, the boy standing taller than six feet and the girl, as tall as Sara. She also noticed that both of them have a slight British accent.

"Mr. and Ms. Johanson?" they both looked at her "I'm Catherine Willows of Criminalistics. Can we talk to you for a sec?" Catherine asked.

"Yes… ok. Please do call me Shane and call her-". He turned towards his sister, smirked and continued "anti-social?"

His sister frowned at him and said "Please call me Christianna"

Catherine secretly smiled at their apparent closeness "How did you find the body?" she asked

"My sister and I took a shortcut to this alley because our car was over there" he pointed towards the SUV across the alley. "We were supposed to buy ice cream and soda when I realized that we have circle around the street in order to reach the 7'11. But we don't really know the area that much so Chris suggested we just park the car and walk to the store. The alley was well lit and I saw the guy. I honestly thought he was asleep until I saw blood in his neck. I called my sister and she told me not to touch it. She had her cell phone with her and she called the police." He narrated.

To Christianna, Catherine asked "how did you know he was dead? Apart from the blood in his neck?

"He was pale, his eyes were rolled back and his lips were bluish. His neck's slashed. I think that the jugular vein was severely damaged. Ripped open I guess. " she answered. Catherine thought that the reply was so well observed. Normally people who found bodies which suffered brutal slashing would have been near to tears or are very hysterical. They also don't joke around with their siblings' social skills. Both of them even don't seem shocked to find a bloody body in an alley.

"You look a little surprised with our answers." The boy observed. 

Catherine shrugged. "It's just that you two are very young yet you don't seem to be shocked, grossed-out nor think that the body is 'cool'. Nor are you crying." She said as she took out her flashlight from her pocket. "May I see-"

"I'm an intern CSI for the Boston Crime Lab." She said

"And I'm an intern for a law firm in Boston. I see dead bodies all the time because they kept sending me to the morgue." Shane said. 

"Well that explains it." O' Riley said. He then told Catherine to just ask those CSI-related questions that he can't possibly ask. A few minutes later…

"I'm not being rude or something but… do you still have questions?" Shane asked.

"Uhh… None. Thanks for your time." Catherine answered. As she turned around to go to the alley, she was called by Shane. 

"Ms. Willows? How do you get to the other side?" he asked, pointing towards 7'11. 

Catherine smiled and walked towards them to give the directions.

The following morning

Catherine was walking towards the victim's house when someone called her name.

"Ms. Willows?" Catherine turned around to see who called her. She was surprised to see Christianna coming towards her, in her in-line skates.

"Christianna? What are you doing here?" Catherine asked.

"I was bored at home. But the dogs didn't feel like walking this morning so I just took my roller blades. I live 15 blocks from here. You found out who the victim was?"

"15 blocks?" Catherine asked. 

"Yes. I need the exercise. So did you found out who he was? Christianna asked again.

"Yeah. A guy with the name Milo Davidoff" Catherine replied.

"Can… can I…" Christianna hesitated "Can I go with you? I'll just stay by the door if he lives alone and you need to process the house." She added hurriedly.

"He didn't live alone. He had his brothers staying with him." She paused for a while, like she's thinking. "Do you have your street shoes with you?" Catherine asked.

"Yes." Christianna replied.

"Put them on when we go inside the house. You said you're an intern CSI right?" Catherine said. When Christianna nodded, she continued, "You can need all the observation you can get." Christianna smiled at what Catherine said. And they walked together.

~~~~~~~~~

"I almost ran over Christianna and her dogs with my car. I offered her a ride home. That was about a year ago too." Nick answered.

~~~~~~~~~

(a flashback)

__

Nick turned on the radio. Listening to Stephen Speaks singing "Passenger Seat" reminded him of someone. 'Just can't remember who' he thought. The shift is over and he was driving home. They just finished a case about a couple who drowned in the lake. Turns out that it was an accident. The boy slipped and cracked his head. His girlfriend tried to save him but not knowing how to swim, they both drowned. 'And to think that we thought it was suicide.' With all these thoughts in his mind, he didn't notice a girl with two dogs on the road. He almost ran over her when noticed the girl's red hair. He stepped onto the breaks. Worried, he got out and went towards her. The girl looked about 16 and was as tall as Sara. She looked at him, wide-eyed.

"Are you hurt?" he asked.

"N…no. I'm ok. And so are the dogs." She replied shakily.

The girl has a slight British accent. She also has two big golden retrievers with her. "You sure? I might have hit you. Do you want to go to a doctor?" He asked.

"No. It's ok. I'm perfectly fine. Thank you for the concern anyway." She said. She seemed composed.

"Of course I'm concerned. I almost ran over you." Nick replied. He gave her his card and said "I'm Nick Stokes, of the Las Vegas Crime Lab. If you have any injuries, anything that may have resulted in the accident please call me." 

"I can assure you that I don't have any injuries." She replied. She showed him her right hand, smiled and said "See? No injuries. I'm Christianna Johanson. It's nice to meet you Mr. Stokes, even if it almost turned out messy." She turned around to walk away, when Nick said:

"Can I offer you a ride home? It's the least I can do when I almost landed you to the hospital." Christianna smiled and asked 

"You're ok with these dogs? They're kinda big"

"Yeah they're ok." As they were walking towards the car, Nick asked, 

"How old are you? 16?"

"Uh, seventeen…" she said timidly. "Turning eighteen this December."

"Seventeen huh? It's a nice age to be in." Nick replied then sped away.

~~~~~~~~~

"Last year, Christianna gave me the last cartridge of the laser ink jet she bought. She refused to sell it to me. She insisted on giving it." Sara responded, confused that Nick and Catherine also met them.

~~~~~~~~~

(a flashback)

__

Sara was walking around the block to find a store that sells ink for an HP desk jet 3325. All the stores seem to be out of stock. She was opening the door to the last store near her house when she heard a girl asking for the same ink for the same printer. She hurriedly went to the counter and asks if they have another one. But the guy said that they were out of stock and that the girl with red hair before her bought the last cartridge. Her shoulders dropping, she sighed and walked towards the door. But in her mind, she was cursing violently.

"Excuse me?" Sara turned around to look at her. The girl was about 16 with red hair and a slight British accent.

"Yes? May I help you?" Sara asked. The girl was the one who bought the last cartridge of ink. She secretly hoped that she will sell it to her. She really needed to print out a very important document.

"Do you need the ink? It's supposed to be for my brother but I made a mistake and bought the wrong one." The girl told her.

"You're selling it to me?" Sara replied, astonished that the girl was doing what exactly what she secretly hoped her to do.

"No, I'm giving it to you." She gave the plastic bag to Sara.

Sara was astounded. "No. I can't just take it. You bought it. I must buy it from you. I mean you haven't used it and it's a bit expensive" Sara replied as she was giving back the plastic bag. She was ready to pay anything for it.

"No. Please take it. I made a mistake. And as you said, I bought it. I can do whatever I want with it. Now please,-" she gave her the plastic bag "-take it."

"Are you sure about this? Because once you give it to me, I might run away and you'll never be able to get it back if ever you change your mind." Sara said as she took the bag.

"I won't change my mind." With Sara's 'yeah right' look she added "Believe me. I will not change my mind. Nor will I regret it."

Sara, unsure of what to say, answered "Thank You. By the way, I'm Sara Sidle." She reached out her right hand.

Taking it, she replied, "You're name's Sara too? I'm Sarah Christianna Johanson. But my friends call me Christianna or Chris." She smiled. She looked at her watch and said "Oh. I have to go. I have a dentist appointment. It's nice to meet you Sara." She said and went out the door. Sara looked at the running figure and softly said "nice to meet you too."

~~~~~~~~~

"Their dogs jumped on me and they offered to pay for my shirt and a ride home which they insisted on. I also met them last year. They seem very kind and generous." Warrick answered.

~~~~~~~~~ 

(a flashback)

__

"Yeah… at three o'clock… yeah… I'll be there." Warrick said as he ended the call. The mechanic who was fixing his car called to tell him that the car was fixed. The headlights were shattered because Catherine's suspect tried to stall them by smashing all the headlights of cars that were parked near their house. 'Stupid move' he thought. But the suspect's stupid move is now his problem. And since he has no car, he has to take the bus. He was walking towards to the bus stop when two large golden retrievers suddenly jumped on him and started licking his face.

"Hey guys, down. I said down. Oh Jesus Christ! I said down boys, down!" Warrick said, "Where are your owners?" he asked, not really expecting a response from them. A red head was running towards his direction, with a leash in each hand.

"Oh my God! Oh I am so sorry. Are you hurt? Marvel! DC! Sit!" she commanded the dogs. The dogs obeyed her and she proceeded to attach their leash. She stood up to say sorry to Warrick again.

"I am so sorry. The dogs were just excited. They do that every time." The red head explained.

"It's ok." Warrick replied. 'A Brit?' he thought. He then noticed a good looking, brown-haired calling them. "Uh, you're boyfriend's here" the girl turned around and replied "He's not my boyfriend." A remark that reminded him very much of Sara. "He's not my boyfriend." She repeated again. "That's my brother." When her brother reached them he paused to take a breath.

"Told you they'll do that." Turning to Warrick he said "I'm sorry. Did they bite you?" he asked

"No. They just jumped on me." Warrick replied.

"I'm really so sorry. I'm Christianna Johanson. And this is Shane, my brother."

"Warrick Brown." He replied as he looked at his shirt.

"Nice to meet you" said the brother. "I'm really sorry about that. It's my fault. Oh they soiled your shirt." He added. Warrick's shirt has four, big paw prints in it.

"Don't worry. It'll come off" Warrick replied. 'I hope so…' was his only thought. "Uhh… here comes the bus." He said as he saw the bus going to the bus stop. He began check his things when Shane said "Can we offer you a ride? Our car is parked nearby."

"Nah, I'll just-" Warrick was interrupted when Christianna said "Please? It's the least we can do for you. I'm also offering to pay for your shirt if the dirt doesn't come off" she also made a 'please-accept' look that can make you agree to their proposal. As if reading her mind, Shane also did look and now they look like two hungry children in search for food. Warrick had no choice but to accept their offer. "Ok I'll take the offer" he said as if playing in Who Wants to be a Millionaire 

"Alright! You stay in the front with Shane. I'll be in the passenger seat with the dogs." Christianna said.

"So, are we set?" Shane asked Christianna and Warrick.

"Yeah. Whenever you're ready." Warrick answered.

"Me too." Christianna responded. "Hold your dog please." She told Shane. 

"What's with their names anyway?" Warrick asked as they were walking towards their SUV.

"Marvel's for Marvel Comics. You know, X-Men, Spider Man, The Hulk. DC's for DC Comics. Batman, Wonder Woman, Justice League. Mine's Marvel. Shane owns DC." Christianna explained as Shane opened the car.

"Oh..." Warrick said as Christianna answered his question

"Where do you live?" Shane asked

"At the other side of Vegas" Warrick answered.

~~~~~~~~~

"What about you Gil? Did you meet any of the twins?" Brass asked Grissom who was silent all throughout the confusion.

"In fact, yes. Christianna is an almost former student. She attended all my lectures in Harvard about Sociology and Entomology, its one of her elective. She is majoring in both Psychology and Cultural Anthropology. The brother, from what I heard, graduated last year, he is now a lawyer; she's going to graduate this year. They are actually gifted children with IQ's above 140." He finished. Brass looked at all of the CSI's and just shook his head.

Brass continued, "Both of them are here for the Easter break. Their parents are both in Europe. Apparently, a business trip they need to make every other month. They were informed of their children's mishap but they are being held in France due to a storm. The twins are being treated in Las Vegas Medical Hospital. They were both shot. The bullet grazed the girl's shoulder but hit her already broken ankle. She also dislocated her knee. The boy was shot in the thigh. It appears that the burglars entered through a ladder they had with them in both of their rooms. They exited through the front door." He said.

"Who fell down the stairs?" Sara asked.

"The girl fell down when she was shot in the left shoulder. The boy was found in his room." Brass replied. He then told Grissom "I'll be outside if you need anything."

As Brass walked away, Grissom assigned them their duties. Nick and Sara in the girl's room then help Warrick in the boy's room if they finished first. Catherine was to inspect the front hall. And he was to ask questions and to inspect outside. They all went to their post quietly knowing that the victims helped them, in one way or another.


	2. chapter two

Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters nor do I profit when I make the characters, especially Nick and Sara, dance in my head.  
  
A/N- Hello. Thank you for the reviews!  
  
~~~~~~~~~ After gathering evidence that may or may not be pertinent to the case, Catherine went out to look for Grissom.  
  
"Hey." She greeted.  
  
"Hey. Found anything?" Gil asked. "Hmm. just blood, footprints, shoeprints, fingerprints that may or may not belong to our suspects, photo albums hair/fiber that may or may not belong to our perpetrators and a broken string in a piano." Catherine reported.  
  
"You looked in the piano?" Grissom asked, his eyebrows raised.  
  
Catherine smiled. "Just humoring you. So, you found anything?"  
  
"Just that there were four thieves and that they have big feet. One might actually be a chain smoker. I bagged it." He showed Catherine the zip-lock bag with a cigarette in it. "I'll send it to Greg. Are you finished gathering evidence?" he asked.  
  
"Yes. Why?"  
  
"Brass told me that his men found an abandoned car with a dead body in it. One of the burglars." Grissom replied.  
  
"How did they know he was one of the burglars?" Catherine asked.  
  
"Everything they stole was inside."  
  
"Everything?"  
  
"Everything. So can you come with me?" Gil asked  
  
"Yeah. First body of the night." Catherine replied ~~~~~~~~~  
  
"We sifted through this mess and bagged almost everything we can call evidence. Is there something we forgot to take?" Sara asked. She looked around the room, which was as big as a garage that can fit two cars, and surveyed the focal point of the room. The bed.  
  
Nick was relieved. He thought Sara will never speak to him again "Can we take the bed? It looks so comfy." He teased.  
  
"Can it fit inside the bag?" Sara retorted. A pause. "Did you find anything in the terrace?" she asked.  
  
"Yeah. A couple of fingerprints, a cigarette butt and a set of shoeprints." He replied.  
  
"What about the hallway?" she asked again.  
  
"Uhh. some blood and muddy shoeprints." Sara just nodded and went back to her work. After a few minutes she said "Let's go check on Warrick, if you're done.  
  
"I'm done." He confirmed.  
  
"Too late. I'm done. Shane's room wasn't this trashed." A voice said. It was Warrick and he brought a piece of paper with him. "I found this-" he motioned to the paper "in Shane's room. It's a genealogy of their family. From both sides. Guess who's in it." He said. Like contestants in a quiz show, Nick and Sara put on their thinking faces. Nick glancing in the ceiling, Sara, pouting.  
  
"Who? Brass? Dr. Robbins?" Nick guessed.  
  
"Who is it Warrick?" Sara prodded.  
  
"Gregory Liam Sanders II. Nickname: Greg."  
  
"You're kidding. Let me see that" Nick said as he walked towards Warrick. He inspected the family tree. After a few minutes of examining, he finally said something. "He's thorough. Every relative in his father and mother's side are in here. Even their relatives with almost unpronounceable names are here. Isn't Greg of Scandinavian descent? His grandparents are Norwegian right?" He asked. As they were getting ready to leave  
  
"Yeah. Grissom made him his guinea pig when we had this case about murder in a real estate house. He brushed his feet with algae that has an effect with people with Scandinavian descent." Warrick answered.  
  
"What happened?" Sara asked as they went out of the room. She was assigned in another case where a cheerleader was dismembered on their school's football field.  
  
"After a few days, his feet were swollen. He can't walk properly." Nick responded.  
  
"So Christianna and Shane have Norwegian blood in them?" Sara asked  
  
'Yeah." Nick replied. "They also have Scottish blood running through their veins. The family tree indicated that their grandparents are both from Scotland. Their middle name is Campbell." He added as they headed towards the car. ~~~~~~~~~  
  
"So one of our suspects got shot in the head?" Catherine asked. She and Grissom were in Highway 54 and to check the abandoned car and body.  
  
"Yes. With a .45 caliber." He replied as they walked towards Brass. Brass was standing besides a dark green SUV.  
  
"Its nice to see you again. Meet Victor Wells, age 33." Brass said referring to the body. It was now carried by the people from the coroner's office headed by David Philips. "He lives in Boston and currently unemployed. But he was taking a vacation Vegas. Guess where he's staying."  
  
"A rundown motel?" Catherine guessed as she and Grissom inspect the interiors of the car. The stolen properties were strewn around the driver and passenger seat as if they burglars were in a lot of hurry to escape.  
  
"Nope. Guess again." Brass replied.  
  
"You're sounding like Greg" Grissom said as he shone his flashlight towards the wheels.  
  
"He was staying in the Red Dragon Hotel"  
  
"Where? In that new establishment?" Catherine remarked  
  
"Yes. And get this, he was staying in a $5,000 a night suite. And he's in day three."  
  
"Well if Victor Wells is currently unemployed, how can he afford a $5,000 a night suite? Win the lottery? Wiped his savings clean?" Grissom commented as he powdered for fingerprints.  
  
"Robbed a bank?" Catherine added. "How many days since the twins went home?" she asked.  
  
"Three." Brass answered.  
  
"Maybe it's a hired hit." Catherine hypothesized.  
  
"On the children? I don't think so." Grissom replied as he showed her the gun. "And besides, if it is a hired hit on the children, how did they know when to strike? To strike when the parents are not in the country?"  
  
"I'll leave you two for a while" Brass told them as he walked towards the officer who called him. Catherine's attention went back to Grissom. She looked directly at his boyish face and answered. "What if they had the house guarded? What if they know something dangerous? And as you said, they are very exceptional. Their IQ's high, over 140."  
  
"You mean they were kept under surveillance? Are you watching too many spy movies?" Grissom asked. Catherine looked at him in a weird way. "Or are you humoring me again?"  
  
"No. Just speculating." She answered.  
  
"We're not supposed to speculate Catherine, we're supposed to get evidence and uncover the truth." Grissom replied. 'Why is she looking at me like that?' Grissom thought. They kept on working. This time in silence. After gathering fibers and hair, blood, fingerprints, shoeprints, tire prints, cigarette butts, etc. that can help in the case, they started organizing their "find"  
  
"So, you two finished?" Brass said, appearing again after an hour.  
  
"Yes. Almost" replied Grissom.  
  
"Good. I've got a warrant for Well's hotel room. Will you still be the one who will process it?" Gil and Catherine looked at each other, as if reading each other's minds. After a few seconds, "Sure. Red Dragon Hotel, right?" he looked at Catherine "I'll just tell Nick to take Sara with him when he asks the twins some questions." ~~~~~~~~~~  
  
"Hey Greg. I need you to process this" Warrick asked as he entered the lab.  
  
"Ok." Was his reply.  
  
"What are you doing?" Warrick asked.  
  
"Grissom's cigarettes."  
  
Warrick waited for a few minutes. 'No use in speculating.' He thought. "Hey Greg, do you have any relatives living in Nevada?" he asked.  
  
"Yeah. second cousins. Why? Did you meet any of them?"  
  
"Yeah. Last year. And maybe we'll reacquaint later in the hospital." He said. He didn't mean to make it sound a bit heartless but.  
  
"Hospital?!?!? Did anything happen to them?!?!?!?" Greg asked. He was shocked and confused at the same time.  
  
"Somebody broke into their house. They were the only ones on the second floor and they were shot. They're ok now" Warrick said quickly. 'I think. But I got to assure him or he'll bolt out of the building.'  
  
"Where are they staying? Did you inform Aunt Camille and Uncle Samuel?" he asked  
  
"Las Vegas Medical Hospital. And yes they were informed. They're still in France and being held by the storm. But they're on their way." Replied Warrick. "Nick and Sara will go to the hospital later to ask them a few questions. You can go with them if you want to." He added. They talked for a while and after a few more minutes, the mass spectrometer beeped. "Look's like Grissom's cigarettes are done." He commented.  
  
"Ok. Time to go out Warrick. Please tell Nick and Sara I'll go with them ok?" Greg told Warrick.  
  
"Yeah. I'll tell them." he replied as he went out of the room. ~~~~~~~~~  
  
Nick was in the break room when Sara went in. "Hey Nick, Brass left this on my desk." She said, showing him the files. "Its Shane and Christianna's files." Sara gave Nick Shane's files while she got Christianna's. Both of them sat down and started reading.  
  
"They're going to turn 18 this December 23" Nick said after a few minutes of reading.  
  
"Did you say December 23? Why is it that in Christianna's birth certificate, her birth date is on December 24? Aren't they twins?" Sara asked, puzzled.  
  
"Let me see." Nick asked. Sara gave him the folder and after a few seconds of studying the birth certificates, he smiled "they were born 10 minutes apart. Shane was born on December 23, at 11:55 pm while Christianna-" he paused to look at her folder "was born on December 24 at 12:05 am." He then gave her back the folder. And they kept reading.  
  
"She was promoted to CSI level one this year." Sara said breaking the silence. "She also works at night. She goes to the lab at 7 pm then goes back to the dorm at 1 am and her classes' starts at 9 am. And, listen to this 'her first dead corpse was a headless body which she found in a closet. She also found the missing left leg and the head of the body.' That was a bit gruesome for a beginner CSI."  
  
"Her first dead body was a legless and headless corpse? And she found the missing body parts?" Nick asked.  
  
"Yeah." Sara answered. "What was the state of your first dead body?" she asked.  
  
"Bullet ridden. The guy was one of the bank robbers. He got into a fight with their boss and was killed off the gang." Nick answered. "What about yours?"  
  
"A girl drowned in a swimming pool" Sara answered. Nick looked at her but she started reading again. 'Hmm. let me try this. If mom thinks that I'm dating Sara, I guess I should look like I'm in love.' He thought. He started to stare at her and think that she is the most beautiful girl he had ever seen. He began studying her face, memorizing. This was how Warrick found them. Sara, concentrated on reading, Nick concentrated in watching Sara.  
  
"Is there something I've missed between the two of you?" Warrick thought, aloud as he walked in.  
  
Sara raised her head "Huh?" and looked at Warrick. "I didn't get what you said." Warrick looked at Nick and he looked back at him. A look at Sara's face gave him the notion that she didn't noticed that Nick was staring at her.  
  
"Nothing. I just asked, if I missed something." He said, rephrasing the question.  
  
"None at all. We just found out that they were born ten minutes apart, thus giving them different birth dates." Sara replied. Warrick walked towards them and sat down beside Nick. He picked up Shane's folder and said "Greg wants to go with you to the hospital."  
  
"Oh. You told him? It's ok for him if he waits till 7?" Nick asked. Greg is normally is impulsive when it comes to his family.  
  
"Yeah. He said he wants to help catch the people who did them wrong." Warrick replied. Sara stood up. Closed the folder and said "I'll just go to the bathroom." With that, she went out.  
  
"What's with you and Sara?" Warrick asked Nick as soon as he was sure Sara cant here them.  
  
"Nothing. My mom is pairing me off with a horrible woman I've already met. I told her that I'm already seeing someone else. She assumed that it's Sara. To stop her from setting me up on blind dates, I sort of agree to what she said. And now she wants to meet her." He explained.  
  
"You told her you were dating Sara?!" Warrick said. Surprised. "How did she know Sara?" he asked.  
  
"She saw her picture at home." Nick replied.  
  
"You have a picture of Sara on frame? At your house?" Amazed, Warrick shook his head. "Do you have a crush on her?" He teased.  
  
"No. And besides she wasn't alone in the picture. She was with the whole team. It was the only picture where we were complete and the lighting was good. And she is the only one whom mom didn't meet. She asked me about her." He clarified.  
  
"Does Sara know about the 'date'?" Warrick asked.  
  
"Yeah. She was fuming when I told her that I told my mom that I'm dating her. I told her we're just gonna pretend. She's thinking about it. But I think she's going to refuse." Nick answered. Worried that the last things he said will really come true. Warrick saw Nick's trouble. He decided to drop the subject. He then started reading Shane's files. Nick got Christianna's files and started reading. A few minutes later, Sara came back. At the same time, Warrick's pager began to beep.  
  
"Uh gotta go guys. Grissom's wants me to go to the Red Dragon Hotel." And he went out of the room.  
  
Sara took the seat beside Nick. 'It seem like he really wants to make his mom happy' she thought.  
  
"Will it give your mom peace of mind if you're-" she was looking for the right word "-attached?" she asked. 'Sounds like I didn't find the right word' she thought. Nick looked at her. He closed Christianna's folder and put it down on the table.  
  
"My mom wants me to settle down and have a family. If she will like the person I'm supposed to be dating and she feels that I'll take care of her and love her as my father loved and cared for her. Then yes it will give her peace of mind." He answered.  
  
"But if I'll be the one who'll go with you on Saturday, won't that be like misleading her? If she finds out the truth, she'll be upset." Sara responded to Nick's explanation.  
  
"It will upset her more is her unsuccessful attempts in setting me up in blind dates. And she just assumed that were dating. I can just tell her that we just had dinner once or twice." He answered. Sara thought for a while. She was pondering if she will agree to Nick's request. While she was thinking, Nick was praying that she will say yes to his problem. After a few moments,  
  
"OK." Sara answered. Nick, inside, was rejoicing. "In one condition. We will tell her on Saturday that she made a mistake, that we're not seeing each other. Understand?" Sara continued.  
  
"OK." Nick said, smiling. Suddenly, Nick, pager began to beep. "It's Greg."  
  
A/N- that's all. The third's one shorter. I think. 


	3. chapter three

Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters nor do I profit when I make the characters, especially Nick and Sara, dance in my head.  
  
A/N- Thank you for your reviews. Oh, for those of you who are wondering what is the color of the hair of Shane (Chris's brother, Greg's cousin), he's blonde. Sorry.  
  
"So Griss, what's up" Warrick asked. He just arrived in the 10th floor of the Red Dragon Hotel.  
  
"We need your expertise. How are Sara and Nick?" Gil asked.  
  
"They're doing fine. They're reading all of the twins' files." Warrick reported.  
  
"Good. Hotel manager said that Victor Wells checked in as Simon Jones and that he was with three other people." Gil gave him the names. "Eric James, Tim Bryan and Jake Ellie. The three of them checked out before the crime occurred. The hotel manager described the other two, James and Bryan but can't remember the third, Ellie. His descriptions were sketchy but there are security videotapes that can help." He said as he walked towards the Hotel Manager.  
  
"Warrick, this is Mr. Oliver Thomas, he's the Hotel Manger, Mr. Thomas, this is Warrick Brown, he'll be the viewing the security tapes." To Warrick "Brass believes that the other three with Wells didn't check in with their real names. The three of them also checked in to different but still expensive rooms. We still have got to get a warrant for their rooms. Mr. Thomas will be showing you to where the other videotapes are."  
  
"Ok." Warrick said. And they walked towards the opposite direction. Grissom went to the victim's room. Catherine was already inside, inspecting.  
  
"Hey." Gil greeted.  
  
"Hey. I found five sets of fingerprints." Catherine reported.  
  
"Five? Didn't management say that our vic's the first client to use this room?" Grissom responded.  
  
"Maybe the hotel maid left their prints. They don't exactly where gloves when they clean the room you know." Catherine said. "And when we clear the maids-" she added.  
  
"Then we've got our suspects. With their real names." Grissom responded.  
  
~~~~~~~~~  
  
Nick, Sara and Greg were walking on the corridors of the hospital. According to the nurse, Shane is in room 319 while Christianna is in room 320. All the rooms were half open so it was easy for them to too look if the twins were asleep or awake. They first reached Shane's room but apparently, he's asleep. Across his room was room 320 and it appears that Christianna was awake since she was singing.  
  
"Starry, starry night, paint your palette blue and gray, look out on a summer's day, with eyes that know the darkness in my soul. Shadows on the hills Sketch the trees and daffodils-" to Sara and Nick, she has a nice voice. But she didn't finish singing because Greg knocked on the door.  
  
"You're singing 'Vincent'?" he asked, smiling. He was also hiding a box behind his back.  
  
"Greg. Hey, how are you?" she asked. She tried to sit up but was stopped by Greg.  
  
"No. Don't sit up. I've got something for you and Shane, I hope you share." He said as he gave her the box he was hiding behind his back.  
  
"What's this?" she asked, her slight accent showing.  
  
"Cake. Its Black Forest." Greg added. Christianna made a motion for him to sit.  
  
"Thanks. How'd you know we're here?" she asked as she peeped inside the box.  
  
"My friends." As he said those words, Nick and Sara appeared. As soon as Christianna saw them, she recognized their faces instantly.  
  
"Hey Nick.Sara? I didn't know you're a CSI, Sara." Christianna said. "Hi, have a seat."  
  
"Yeah. We're here to ask you and your brother a few questions about last night." Nick said as he sat down.  
  
"Uhh... ok. Is Shane still asleep?"  
  
"Yes." Nick took out his notepad and his pen and started asking.  
  
"Can you describe your assailants?" He asked.  
  
"Uhh.Sort of. I think they were three of them and that they were all wearing black ski masks. I was taller than one of them but the other two, were taller than Shane. I took off one of their mask. I think I kicked the face of the smaller guy and then he pushed me. I felt my knee hurt. After that, I think I blacked out." She answered.  
  
"What were you doing before you were attacked?" Sara asked.  
  
"We were playing Grand Theft Auto in Playstation 2. Uhmm. Shane heard noise in his room so he went to check. After a while, I heard crashes in his room I was supposed to go there but noises in my room distracted me." She paused "I went to my room and I saw two guys trashing it. I think they were looking for something. They noticed me, but I ran to go downstairs. Rosemary, our cook, and Agatha were already asleep. They sleep like a rock you know. Jimmy, mom's driver doesn't live in our house. I was going to wake them up and I was shouting to Shane but when I reached the stairs, there was another guy and he tried to stop me. We struggled and I kicked him." She stopped, shifting in the bed. After that, she continued,  
  
"Then, the other two joined him. He pushed me back when I kicked him again and he hit the wall hard." Christianna made a face when she remembered the pain of dislocating her knee.  
  
"Do you know what your attackers were looking for?" Greg asked.  
  
"I don't know. But if they're looking for Shane's legal documents, or my reports they'll not find it by trashing my room. Or Shane's room." She answered. Then Sara, unceremoniously, showed her pictures of Victor Wells. Dead.  
  
"Do you know him?" Sara asked.  
  
Christianna took the pictures and looked at them. "Hmm. I think I saw him near school and that company we investigated."  
  
"Company you've investigated?" Nick asked.  
  
"Yeah. He was one of the suspects for two counts of murder. We got a strong case but somehow the court decided that he's not guilty. Some of the people in the department changed a report."  
  
"How come?" Sara asked, intrigued.  
  
"Well you see, Shane got the investigators' and the police's statement because he was assisting a private prosecutor. He was given a copy of the report. Then, he asked me if I have a copy of the original report because he wanted to be thorough. He saw something that didn't match and reported it to the DA. But when they already informed the court about it, it was already too late. Mom's filing a new case, this time with the real report." She replied  
  
"Where is this report?" Nick asked.  
  
"Together with my projects. It's hidden in a secret panel in my room. It's pretty big so I also hid there some TV. The stairway has a hidden camera which my parents aren't aware of. It's my project for Psychology. I think I still have it in record mode." Christianna revealed. To a very surprised Nick, Sara and Greg, it's a very big break.  
  
"Can you give it to us?" Sara asked.  
  
"Yes. But you'll have a hard time finding the panel. Even if you do find it, you can't open it 'coz I rigged it with something." She answered. After she replied, two people came in.  
  
"Aunt Camille!" Greg exclaimed. He stood up and rushed towards his aunt and uncle.  
  
"Greg! Hello. What are you doing here?" asked his aunt. When she saw Nick and Sara she asked "Are we interrupting something here?"  
  
"Oh no ma'm" Nick said.  
  
"Hi mum, dad." Christianna said.  
  
"Hey there princess. You ok?" her father asked as he kissed Christianna in the forehead. "Sorry we're late. We got held by the storm." her dad said.  
  
"I'm ok. Just a dislocated knee." Christianna replied. Then she introduced Nick and Sara. "Mum, dad, this is Nick Stokes and Sara Sidle, they're from the Crime Lab."  
  
"I hope you find the criminals who did this to my son and daughter." Mrs. Johanson said. She understood from Christianna that the work of a CSI is not that easy.  
  
"Yes ma'm" Nick replied.  
  
"We'd better get going. We'll just ask Shane some questions later. And we'll ask you about your project later too." Sara said as she and Nick went out. Greg stayed.  
  
~~~~~~~~~  
  
Brass was looking for Grissom. He not answering his cell phone nor is he returning any of his calls. He got a lead on the case.  
  
"Hey Catherine" he called. "Where's Gil?" he asked.  
  
"In his office." She replied. "Anything wrong?"  
  
"I've got something." He answered. He then changed course towards Grissom's office and Catherine hurried to walk besides him.  
  
"So, you got anything to share?" she asked.  
  
"I've talked to Nick and Sara. It seems like both of the Johanson twins are in the way of a big company revision. You know the company, BLS Corporation?" when he got a blank look he elaborated on "You know, the company the forces its employees to retire?" he asked.  
  
Remembering an article she had read, Catherine nodded her head. "Yes. They're based in Boston."  
  
"Well, two of its workers decided to take legal action against the company. They said that the corporation is forcing them to retire because they want to replace them all with young people and computers." Brass continued.  
  
"Hmm..." Catherine remarked.  
  
"Yeah. And they asked a private prosecutor to help them. If ever they win, they'll receive a huge sum of money from the corporation. And that might trigger a whole bunch of legal accusations that might make the whole company bankrupt." He said.  
  
Catherine raised an eyebrow. "Let me guess, they turn up dead?" she said.  
  
"Right. They both died the same night but the first one died when he was fixing his roof. The other one apparently died in a car crash. The report says that they both died because of accidents. But what if the report is wrong?" Brass asked.  
  
"The report is wrong?" Catherine asked as they turned right.  
  
"What's wrong with the report?" a voice from behind asked. Both Catherine and Brass turned around.  
  
"Gil? I thought you were in your office." Catherine asked.  
  
"I was. But I saw Jim's message. I went out to look for him. Then I saw you two together. I followed you." He replied. The three of them started walking, still going to Grissom's office.  
  
"Christianna and a colleague made the report and gave it to her supervisor. According to Nick and Sara, Shane was assisting the prosecutor and was given the copy of the police report. He told Nick and Sara that the report was blurry and asked Christianna for the original report. Christianna was asked by her colleague, Gary Bracken to keep the report, and she thought that the statement her twin had was the one they made. She gave him the original copy in her back-up diskette." Brass said as they entered Grissom's office. They sat on the chairs and Brass continued.  
  
"Shane noticed the difference instantly and pointed it out to his sister. They reported it but they were too late because the case was already junked by the judge. They're now filing a new case. They're supposed to appear on court tomorrow. But since they're in the hospital."  
  
"They can't prove that the case was a sham if they don't have the altered copy and the original." Catherine said.  
  
"Maybe. But if we don't have the altered report and the original, how will we know?" Grissom asked. There was a knock on the door. It was Warrick.  
  
"I got them." He said as he waved three pieces of paper.  
  
A/N- That's it. The whole court thing in the 4th to the last paragraph? I don't really know if it's true. (And my dad's a lawyer. Talk about irony). The next chapters will be an Alias-like plot (complicated) and I'm going to send Nick and Sara to Boston. Hehe. 


	4. chapter four

Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters nor do I profit when I make the characters, especially Nick and Sara, dance in my head.  
  
~~~~~~~~~  
  
Sara, Catherine, Greg and Nick were in the lay out room they were waiting for Warrick and Grissom to arrive.  
  
"So, Eric James is really Jeremy Ericsson, Tim Bryan is actually Hugh Jameson and Jake Ellie is Elliot Mc Mann?" Greg asked. He was reading the records of the three suspects.  
  
"Armed robbery. attempted burglary. attempted murder. Where do these guys come from?!" Sara exclaimed, as she took a look at the files.  
  
"Well apparently, they hide in names to hide their crimes." Catherine said. A few minutes later, Grissom and Warrick arrived.  
  
"I've got the information on the police and Christianna's report. Not complete, but comprehensive enough to help our case." Grissom said as he gave out folders.  
  
"Richard Maverick, age 40, was head of the production of the merchandise. He died because of an apparent car accident. His partner in the lawsuit is Evan Gonzales age, 44. He died when he was fixing his roof. The report says that it was raining, there was a hole in the roof and he slipped when he tried to fix it." Grissom read. "This is supposed to be the altered report." He added.  
  
"So, we'll just contemplate on what was on the real report?" Warrick asked.  
  
"Why not?" Catherine replied. They continued to discuss the case, the police reports, when Brass went in.  
  
"There are reporters outside the building Gil," He said.  
  
"Don't entertain them." He absent-mindedly replied.  
  
"Yes. But they want to talk to you or to the Sheriff. I think they want to burst inside and hound as all." Brass replied. "And, they said, that they will seek the truth and tell them to their followers." He added, shrugging, not really taking them seriously.  
  
"Tell them, we don't have any sufficient evidence yet or you can just tell them, no comment." Gil said. Brass looked at him with one of his eyebrows raised.  
  
"Okay... Just don't let anybody see you outside, they'll ambush you."  
  
Grissom turned his attention back on his team. "So, anything else?" he asked  
  
~~~~~~~~~  
  
"So, we're back to the big house." Sara said as they walked towards the Johanson Mansion. She was with Catherine. They walked towards the door and pressed the doorbell. An elderly woman, whom Catherine remembered as Agatha answered the door.  
  
"Hi, um. were with the crime lab and we need to ask Mr. and Ms. Johanson some few questions." Catherine said.  
  
Agatha let them in and led them to the backdoor. There was a picnic table where Shane was situated, sitting on a wheelchair. He was listening to Christianna as she walked around in crutches. Their dogs were running around the grass but they seem oblivious to them. The twins seem to be arguing.  
  
"Mr. Shane is practicing Ms. Christianna." When Catherine and Sara both looked at her with the 'go on' face, she added "For defending her thesis. It's going to be next week."  
  
As they neared the twins, they heard part of Christianna's closing argument.  
  
"Serial killers are not born evil. Their actions are sometimes the result of their rough and sometimes perverted childhood. It can be their twisted obsessions that, if was seen early, might have saved them from this peril. Give the example of Syd Goggle." she was distracted by the Shane's signals, making funny faces.  
  
"What are you doing?" she asked Shane, suspiciously.  
  
"We're sorry to interrupt." Catherine said as she placed her hand in Christianna's shoulder. She turned around and after seeing them, smiled.  
  
"Ms. Willows, Sara, hi. Shane was just rehearsing me for my oral defense for my thesis."  
  
"Uhmm. Yes. We're here to ask you, if it's ok, for original reports and tapes." Sara said.  
  
"Tapes?" Shane asked. She looked at his twin. "Is this one of your weird ways of observing people?"  
  
"You can say that." She smirked at him. She turned to Catherine and Sara and said "Come with me."  
  
~~~~~~~~~  
  
Christianna was closing the door to her room. "Don't be alarmed when you here something crash." She said. Without waiting for their reply, she walked towards her closet. She opened the door and went in. A few minutes later, she gave them a diskette, a folder and 3 tapes. "I don't know which was midnight but this was taken after seven."  
  
"Thanks. I hope no reporters have seen us come in." Catherine said. They went out of her room and started to go downstairs. Catherine and Sara stayed for a few minutes before saying goodbye.  
  
Christianna walked with them towards the front door. "I hope they can help." She said.  
  
As she was opening the front door, Agatha called, "There are reporters outside the gates Ms. Christianna. If they see your friends going out, they might force themselves to come in." Christianna, Catherine and Sara looked at her.  
  
"Where did you park your car?" Christianna asked. She was going the opposite way with Catherine and Sara were following her.  
  
"Near your iron gates. Even if we go out the other way, they'll still see us if we go near the car." Catherine replied. Christianna went out of the back door and looked for Shane.  
  
"Hey Shane, can you help us in our little problem?" She asked her brother.  
  
"And what is your little problem?" he asked.  
  
"Reporters." Sara answered.  
  
"And your car's near them?" he commented. He went towards them and told his sister, "call Jimmy and ask him to drive their car where the exit is and then we'll lead the ladies to the exit. I'll ask Agatha to keep the reporters busy." He said as he wheeled away.  
  
"Exit?" Catherine asked Christianna.  
  
"Yes. There's a back exit here, not really seen from the front" she replied as she asked Catherine for the keys to her SUV. Christianna thanked her went to find Jimmy.  
  
Catherine and Sara were left by the table with the dogs [A/N-the dogs are not in the table]. They sat down the benches and looked at their watches. Sara then saw a thick folder. She opened it and saw Christianna's name. It was a copy of her thesis. She also saw some paper that were highlighted (maybe by Shane) and was able to read some of the highlighted parts and thought 'she's good.'  
  
"Her thesis is about serial killers not being born evil." Sara commented.  
  
"Really? Can she defend it? It sounds like she supports the view of Confucius about the nature of man." Catherine said  
  
"You mean 'man, by nature is good and only circumstances makes them bad' view?" Sara asked.  
  
"Yes." Catherine answered. The dogs were jumping and doing tricks, making them smile. They waited for a few minutes and then they saw Shane and Christianna.  
  
"It's all set. Agatha is outside, Jimmy's outside" Shane said. And they lead them out of the house.  
  
~~~~~~~~~ A/N- Nick and Sara's date is next. Hehehehehehehe 


	5. chapter five

Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters nor do I profit when I make the characters, especially Nick and Sara, dance in my head.  
  
A/N- I love flashbacks. Please tell me if you don't like them.  
  
~~~~~~~~~  
  
A week later  
  
Sara was inside the lay out room. She was studying Christianna's report. She was so absorbed in reading that she didn't notice Catherine going in.  
  
"So, how was 'date' with Nick and his mom?" Catherine asked. Sara stopped reading and looked up.  
  
"It was ok. His dad went with his mom actually." She replied  
  
"Did you tell his mom that you don't date Nick?" Catherine asked again.  
  
"I didn't get the chance. I liked his mom and she was so happy that she met one of Nick's girlfriends. She didn't even give me a chance to explain." Sara answered. She looked uneasy  
  
"You look troubled. Want to tell me?" Catherine asked  
  
"I guess I can..."  
  
*********  
  
(A flashback, that weekend, Saturday afternoon)  
  
Sara was wearing a pale blue blouse with a matching skirt and a nervous stance. She didn't want to pretend that she is Nick's girlfriend. Or that Nick is her boyfriend. She doesn't even want to meet Nick's mom. She didn't even meet Hank's mom for crying out loud. 'I can back out, tell Nick I'm sick.' She thought. But then, her doorbell buzzed. 'Oh no' she thought and, like she was a robot, went towards the door and opened it. It was Nick.  
  
"Hi Sara. You ready?" he asked. He can see from her face that she was nervous. "It's going to be okay. It just lunch." He said.  
  
"I..." Sara wanted to tell him that she's sick but then a word came to her mind 'COWARD!!!' she thought. But she knew that she is not a cowardly woman 'Sara Sidle is not a weak, gutless human being' she said to herself.  
  
"I'm fine." She said.   
  
Nick gave her a bouquet of white roses "Uh... these are for you." He said. He looked visibly embarrassed.  
  
Sara took the flowers after recovering from astonishment and at the same time letting him in.   
  
"I'll...uh... I'll look for a...a... a vase to put the flowers on." She said. 'I'm mortifying myself in front of Nick' Sara thought. Nobody ever gave her a bouquet of roses. Not even Hank. 'Grrr... enough about Hank. The thing between him and you is over. Stop thinking about him!' she thought.   
  
While busy with her thoughts and looking for a vase, Nick was looking around Sara's apartment. This was the first time he went in and he liked it. It was neat, orderly, just like its owner. He glanced around the bookcase and saw some of his favorite books. The Client, by John Grisham, Patriot Games by Tom Clancy and Pleading Guilty by Scott Turow. They evidently have the same taste for books.  
  
"Hey, ready to go?" Sara asked.  
  
"Yeah. Nice books." Nick replied. "Some of them are my favorites." He said.  
  
"Want to borrow them?" She asked as they headed towards the door.  
  
"Nah... thanks anyway." He said  
  
********  
  
As the maître d' led them to their table, Nick saw his mom with his dad. "Sara, my dad's here" he said  
  
"I thought it's just going to be your mom." Sara said. She was starting to panic.  
  
"Well, dad was apparently dragged to go in here." He said he squeezed Sara's hand to comfort her. They approached the table and Nick gave his mom and dad a kiss after introducing Sara. "Mom, I didn't know you'd be bringing dad along with you." Nick said as he pulled Sara's chair.  
  
"Well, you know that I have to drag him here." She turned to Sara "my, how lovely you are. You're much prettier in person than in your picture."  
  
"Picture?" Sara asked as she smiled. But her insides were hopping around her stomach like crazy jellybeans. 'Picture? Where did she see my picture?' she thought  
  
"Oh yes. You have a picture in Nick's mantel. Together with your colleagues' snapshots." Nick's mom smiled.  
  
"Really?" Sara looked at Nick. Turning her attention back to Nick's parents, she asked "Was your trip to Las Vegas okay?"  
  
"Oh yes. The flight attendant was getting a bit cranky with the boy that reminded me of Nick" said Nick's dad. "He was interested in science. And he was a delightful chatterbox." He added. After a few minutes, the first course was served, and they continued "getting to know" Sara.  
  
*********  
  
They were finished eating their desserts when Nick's father excused himself to get some air. After a few seconds, Nick followed him. Only Sara and Nick's mom were left in the table. Sara was calm.  
  
"You know," Nick's mother started "Of all of Nick's girlfriends, I liked you the most." She then covered her hand over Sara's "You're intelligent, caring kind, almost opposite of the girls Nick dated. I now know why Nick always talked about you when he calls us." She said.  
  
"Nick talks about me?" Sara asked, surprised.  
  
"Why, yes didn't you know? He was always talking about you. " Nick's mom replied. "I think that I presumed that he was dating you. But after this I think that my assumptions were correct. Am I?" his mom asked. Sara thought about telling her the truth. But after she heard the happiness in her voice, her hopes of his son settling down and have a family during the meal, she was having second thoughts.  
  
-MEANWHILE, out in the terrace-  
  
"Good choice, son" Nick's father said as he heard his son joining him.  
  
"You like her?" Nick replied.  
  
"Yes. You're mother was exactly like that when I met her. Intelligent, caring, beautiful. Don't let that one go away." His dad said.  
  
"I'll try." He paused. "She's beautiful, isn't she?" Nick asked. He was going to talk to his father, intending to tell him that they made a mistake and Sara isn't his girlfriend.  
  
"I really thought you were a blockhead when it comes to choosing women. You always bring home, blonde, well-endowed women who can't carry a conversation if it's not about them. But when I met Sara, I really think you've come to your senses." His dad said as he lit a cigar. "Did you tell her that you love her?" he asked.  
  
"Does mom know about that?" Nick asked about the cigar. He was trying to shift the conversation away from Sara and him. If he's going to tell the truth now, he'll have that disapproving gaze his dad gives him whenever he did something terrible when he was a kid.  
  
His dad looked at him "Don't try to evade questions, Nick. I can see that you haven't told Sara. She's the kind of woman who needs to be told what you really feel about her. If you don't do it soon, you're going to lose her." His dad said, as he was puffing smoke.   
  
"I think you're mother is finished." And went inside. Nick stayed outside for a while, pondering his dad's message.  
  
-INSIDE THE RESTURANT-  
  
"I guess it's safe to say that you're assumptions are correct." Sara replied after she chose not to tell the truth. Nick's mom looked very happy. Sara smiled and drank all her water.  
  
"Everything ok?" Nick's dad said as he sat down his chair. "Nick's still outside. Thinking." His dad added.  
  
"Can you please excuse me? I need to go to the bathroom." Sara said as she stood up. She was going to the bathroom to clear her head with what she said and heard.  
  
(End of flashback)  
  
*********  
  
"Nick told me, that he wasn't able to tell his dad about the true nature of our relationship." Sara ended. She sighed and looked at Catherine.  
  
"That's okay Sara." she said as she patted her shoulder as if to comfort.   
  
After a while, Greg, Nick, Grissom and Warrick went in. Nick took a seat beside Catherine, Warrick beside Sara.   
  
"The Johanson's are being hounded by reporters and we've received news that our suspects left for Boston. They still don't know that the police are after them." Grissom said.  
  
"Is that a good thing or bad thing?" Catherine asked, referring to the suspects.  
  
"Both. Brass already informed the Boston Police Department, but they want two people from our team to be there. I also want these two people to get information from both Shane and Christianna's workplace and dormitories." Grissom said. As he was saying this, Brass went in.   
  
Grissom continued "I wrote our names in pieces of paper. Brass picked them out and he picked Nick and Sara's names."  
  
"Me and Nick?" Sara said. Before she could refuse, Nick asked "How will we go to Boston?"  
  
"I talked to Mrs. Johanson about the suspects going to Boston. She'll be representing her children, of course, when we arrested the perpetrators. She mentioned it to her husband and he said that he can take you to Boston. He has a business meeting there and he'll be staying with his in-laws for the week. He said you are welcome to stay there." Brass said.  
  
"When will they leave?" Warrick asked.  
  
"Tomorrow morning, at eight o'clock." Brass said. Sara looked at Nick but Nick was talking to Catherine about reporters.  
  
"Sara, since you know the campus well, can you please ask for Professor Kinsley and ask him about Hugh Jameson? He's a little older than you but he used to study in Harvard before he dropped out. I think he knows where he stays when he's not at home." Grissom said  
  
"Yeah, sure." Sara beamed. She still has that little crush on Grissom.   
  
"Well then, if anybody needs me, I'll be in my office, and Brass-" he added, "Please don't share anymore information about the case to the public, especially to the family of the victims." Grissom said as he stood up.   
  
"They're not dead, Gil. They need to know something." Brass muttered as he went out of the room.  
  
Catherine, pondering on something, also stood up and raced to Grissom. He was already halfway towards his office when she caught up with him. "You got a minute?" she asked  
  
"Yes?" Gil replied  
  
"Lindsey is inviting you to watch her play. It's Peter Pan." Catherine said.  
  
"When is it?" Grissom asked. He knows that Lindsey is looking for a father figure ever since her father, Eddie, died tragically.   
  
"It's on Wednesday night. She's going to play Wendy." She said. Catherine also knew that Lindsey is looking for a father figure and she knows that Lindsey has chosen whom she wants it to be. Grissom.  
  
"Yes. Of course. You will be with me won't you?" Gil asked.  
  
"Yeah. Its at 7." Catherine said as she walked away. "Thanks. Lindsey will be so pleased." She added.   
  
Grissom watched as her retreating figure disappeared. The last time he watched her walked away was when Catherine told him that she was to marry Eddie Willows. And he just looked at her, walking away, after giving her his congratulations.  
  
A/N- Hello. If it sucks please tell me... I'm losing my mind writing the "after the play" scene 


	6. chapter six

Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters nor do I profit when I make the characters, especially Nick and Sara, dance in my head.

A/N Chapter six is up… Don't like it? Please do tell. (This is my first fan fiction)

****

~~~~~~~~~

Nick and Sara were aboard Samuel Johanson's plane. They were on their way to Boston but they stopped first in New York. After thirty five minutes, they will land. 

Nick was seated besides Sara, awake, but Sara was leaning on his shoulders, asleep. Mr. Johanson was across them, reading the paper. He offered them coffee but both Nick and Sara declined. That was an hour ago.

"Mr. Johanson, there's a call for you." Said his secretary. He excused himself and went to the cockpit. He didn't want to wake up Sara. 

"Sir, are they a couple?" asked his secretary, Eileen. Samuel Johanson treats her like his sister and she was grateful for his kindness. But for the sake of formality, she calls him sir.

"I think they're in a state of denial." He replied as he took the call. After talking for fifteen minutes, the pilot told them that they will land in about five minutes. Mr. Johanson told Eileen to sit already and he hurried to his seat.

~~~~~~~~~

****

BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS

Nick and Sara were with the Campbell's, Christianna and Shane's grandparents. They arrived before lunchtime and were received warmly by the elderly couple. The CSI's observed that Mr. and Mrs. Campbell both have a Scottish accent and fond of dogs. Mr. Johanson already left for his business meeting and the Campbell's asked them to stay for lunch before going to the campus to ask some questions. They have so many stories about their grandchildren and their 'misdeeds' when they were kids.

"Ever since she was a little girl, Chris was already interested in what happens inside people's mind." Mrs. Campbell said as Evelyn, their companion, gave them their desserts.

"So that's why she took a double major in Psychology and Cultural Anthropology" said Nick as he took a bite of the apple pie which Mrs. Campbell made herself. 

"You must be so proud of your grandchildren; they have entered a very good school. Shane's already a lawyer and Christianna's graduating." Sara added.

"Oh Yes. They are nice children but unfortunately have evil tempers when unleashed." Mr. Campbell replied. He thought for a while and continued, 

"Oh, I remembered, Chris called an hour before you arrived. She told me, to tell you to check where she keeps the 'ones who got away' or as she put it 'those who escaped justice's claws'. It's a corkboard in her room shaped like a-." 

"Fish?" Sara asked. She remembered Grissom's 'fish board' a corkboard shaped like a fish where he places all the suspects who 'got away'

Grandfather Campbell thought for a while. "No, I think it was shaped like a cow. But she does have another corkboard shaped like a fish." 

"It's in her room, next to your room" Grandfather Campbell said to Sara.

"Mike doesn't know what the 'ones who got away' means. But I think it will really help you." Said his wife.

"Thank you sir, ma'm. We'll check it before we go." Nick replied. He liked Mrs. Campbell's pie. 

After dessert, they went to their rooms to get the things they needed. But as Nick said, they first went to Christianna's room to check her 'cow board'. 

"She's really tidy, you know?" Nick thought, aloud as he went towards Sara. She found the corkboard. "Find anything?" he asked as Sara began to uncork the pieces of paper.

"Yeah. Mug shots of…" Sara stopped. She took the pictures and continued "Jeremy Ericsson and Elliot Mc Mann.

~~~~~~~~~

****

LAS VEGAS, NEVADA

Catherine was reading a copy of the police report Shane had and part of the police report Christianna had. She was doing her overtime before shift since Lindsey went home from school early. It also means that she has time to have dinner with her daughter too.

Since Sara checked the police reports first, Catherine had no problem spotting the altered parts for the young woman had already made marks and highlighted them. But Sara was not yet finished and because she's in Boston, Grissom asked Catherine to finish it.

After reading a few lines in the report, Catherine noticed the difference in the writing styles of the authors. Christianna said that she was helped by a colleague and that she was asked to keep the copy of the original report. 'So, it might be possible that the person who altered the original report might have just copied it so that he can write another report that was completely opposite from the first one.' She thought and continued reading.

A FEW MINUTES LATER

"Hey Cath, need any help?" Warrick asked. He strolled in and took the seat beside her.

"No, thanks. I'm about to finish anyway." She replied. Catherine smiled. She then saw a pink teddy bear on top of the table appeared when Warrick went in. 

"Who's this for?" Catherine asked.

Warrick looked at the teddy bear and replied. "For Lindsey. I can't come and watch her tomorrow so I decided that I'll just give her a gift to make up for not coming." Warrick said, casually.

"If you keep on giving her gifts whenever you can't accept her invitation, she'll just ask for presents and not invite you." Catherine joked.

"Nick's worse you know. Giving her candies or gifts whenever he sees her." Warrick said making the bear dance. "I bet he'll be bringing gifts for Lindsey from Boston." He added.

Catherine, who is now finished with the reports, shook her head. "Nick's with Sara. She'll stop him." Warrick smiled at Catherine's remark.

"Nick's going to charm Sara to go with him to buy presents for us. Knowing Sara's going to refuse, he's going to bug her until Sara gives in." Warrick said, grinning to the dancing, pink, girly bear. 

Catherine noticed this and asked "What's so funny?"

"You have no idea, have you?" Warrick asked.

"Idea of what?" she asked again

"Nick has a crush on Sara and Sara doesn't know." He replied.

Catherine thought for a while, "I know that Sara doesn't know that Nick has a crush on her… but I thought that phase of Nick's was over. Like, what? Three years ago?"

"Three years?" Warrick asked, dumbfounded.

"No, what I meant was, Nick was smitten with Sara when she first came here. I guess he found her cute. I think he's over that phase." Catherine said. When she looked at Warrick's still surprised face, she asked "It's not over yet, is it?"

"The phase? No, not yet, apparently." He replied.

"How did you figure that out? That Nick has a crush on Sara, I mean?" Catherine asked, rearranging the reports.

"He has one framed picture of Sara along with his' sister's pictures. He told me that he took it when they were in a convention together. I poked around more and he admitted it. He then told me the uncut version of the 'talk' with his father. The deleted part that he didn't tell Sara. Wanna get some coffee?" Warrick asked.

"If we're talking about this, no, the building has ears. So, what did he say?" Catherine asked.

"That his father really liked Sara and that his son should tell his "girlfriend" that he loves her. He told me that his dad didn't want him to '_let that girl go away_'" Warrick said. While she's listening, Catherine's eyes saw Greg and Archie looking their way, as if eavesdropping.

  
"I think we should get that coffee." She said, motioning discreetly to Warrick, Greg and Archie.

"OKay. So… about the report?"

~~~~~~~~~

****

BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS 

"So, Detective Pierce, How long have you been in Massachusetts?" Nick asked. He was striking a friendly conversation with the officer who will accompany them when they start questioning some people. Thank God the detective wasn't a stiff guy.

"I've lived here since I was a kid. How long have you been in Vegas?" he asked.

"About five years. I'm from Dallas." Nick replied.

"What about your pretty partner?" Detective Pierce asked. He sounded sincere. 

Sara looked at the detective and replied. "About three years. I'm from California. But I studied here." Sara said, referring to Harvard and paused, "Did you know Christianna Johanson well?" she asked

"You studied here?" he asked. When Sara nodded. He then proceeded to answer her question. 

"Not personally. But she's quite a bundle of energy. She has a playful personality and doesn't really show her bad temper until after an incident in which one of the suspected men, a muscular brute and also a chauvinist, told her that she's a naïve little girl who isn't good at her job." He chuckled at the memory.

"What happened?" Nick asked, curious.

"Johanson grabbed his collar and hurled the guy to the wall like a piece of paper. She grabbed his neck and told him that if he said anything chauvinistic to any women in the halls of the building he might look for his balls in his throat. The guy admitted to everything that was accused of him. He also implicated three more people in the murder. But two of them bailed out. We can't do anything about it." He replied. Nick and Sara looked at each other, eyebrows raised.

"Did their names happen to be Jeremy Ericsson and Elliot Mc Mann?" Sara asked

Detective Pierce thought for a while "Yes. How did you know? Johanson was so pissed about it. They're thugs of the president of BLS Company. Bracken and Johanson were so angry that the judge junked their case. They really had a strong case, you know? I don't know what happened. I heard that the report was changed. Is it true?" he asked.

"We're not in the liberty to discuss our current case. Sorry." Sara answered.

"Oh, that's OK. Oh, here we are, this is Johanson's dormitory. But she stays at her grandparent's house when it's snowing. She can't stand the frigid air of Harvard yard. She turns literally blue when she gets too cold." Pierce said. "Her room's in the second floor. It's where the curfew's a bit lenient." He said as they went upstairs.

'The guy's a chatterbox' Nick thought as he listened to Detective Pierce's natural gift for gab. He glanced at Sara's direction, expecting to see her face blank (whenever she prefer to not listen) but was surprised to see her listening. 

"I don't really understand that girl. See, she's rich, why be a CSI?" Pierce continued.

Nick wasn't listening now. He was observing the dormitory's interiors and thinking how Christianna juggled her job and Harvard. 'She must be gifted with super powers.' He thought. 

They now reached the room farthest the stairs. Detective Pierce knocked on the door. Then the CSI's, together with the detective heard footsteps going towards the door, unlocking and opening it.

"Jennifer Blake?" when a blonde girl with brown eyes opened the door.

"Yes?" She asked.

"I'm Detective Brian Pierce from the Boston Police Department. These are Nick Stokes and Sara Sidle from the Las Vegas Crime Lab. They would like to ask you a few questions" Detective Pierce said as he showed her his badge.

A bit puzzled, she said "Uhh… OK. Come in."

~~~~~~~~~

"Is she OK? I mean, she'll defend her thesis this Friday. She might not be able to graduate if she'll not appear for that oral test." Jennifer said.

"Does she have any enemies that may want to hurt her or her brother?" Sara asked. 

The girl thought for a while. "I don't think so. I mean, she's the sort of person that will not hold grudge on anybody. Unless they did something very bad to her or her family… she also knows how to control her temper. Because whenever Chris let's go of it-" she pauses, thinking for the right word, "-she's really, really scary. She has this super strength that can hurl big men to the wall and drag Burns-he's a classmate and a very big guy, out of the dorm."

Nick, who was taking down notes, asked "Can you describe Chris in terms of handling her work and school? Did anything suffer whenever she prioritizes the other?"

"No. I don't know where she gets her energy. But what I can tell you is that she's a perfectionist and very dedicated. They get her through with perfect grades and a promotion." The roommate said. 

To Sara, it sounds that Jennifer is a bit jealous of her roommate. "She even goes to the sports hall to do some gymnastics. Uh… that's when she's angry or whenever she feels stressed out in school or her work." 

Sara, who was walking towards a disorderly table serving as a study table, asked, "Are these yours?" 

Jennifer looked at her and realized that Sara was talking about the diskettes "No. they're Chris'. She doesn't normally leave her things lying behind but, examinations are near. She's studying for her tests and preparing for her oral defense." She replied.

"Can we talk to the Burns guy?" Nick asked.

"Yeah. His name is Cole Andrew." she added, "he has a brother that lives with him. His name's also Cole." 

"Do you know his address?" the detective asked.

"Uh, no. He's girlfriend knows but she's not here right now."

"Thank you for your help." Pierce said. To Sara and Nick, he said "We'd better get going"

"Thank you for your time, Ms. Blake." Nick said as they exited the room. 

"No prob." She replied as she closed the door. The two investigators with the detective went down and went out the front door of the dorm.

"So, where to now?" asked Sara.

"The crime lab." Answered Detective Pierce. "It's just a couple of blocks from here. And Johanson's shift already started. You might find some answers there."

A/N chapter seven, coming soon…


	7. chapter seven

Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters nor do I profit when I make the characters, especially Nick and Sara, dance in my head.

*********

****

LAS VEGAS, NEVADA

It was a hot afternoon in Las Vegas, Nevada. You might think that employees working the night shift would be in their houses sleeping. But for Gil Grissom, there is no such thing as sleeping in the afternoon when there's tons of work to do. That is what Brass found out when he saw the graveyard shift supervisor in his office, working on the computer.

"Hey Gil." Brass greeted as he knocked at the door. Grissom looked up, motioned him to come in and sit down, and continued what he was doing. As soon as Brass sat down, he looked up again.

"Nick and Sara faxed me their report this morning." Brass said, giving Grissom a thick manila folder.

"It must be important if they send it to you this morning and this thick." Gil replied as he opened the file. 

"Or just plain Sidle Routine." Brass replied as Grissom read the folder's contents.

After a few minutes, Grissom finally spoke. "I guess we have three more suspects"

~~~~~~~~~

"Thank you for coming Uncle Gil." Lindsey said as they went out of her classroom. "Did you like it?" she asked.

"Yes, I did." He nodded. "I particularly liked the scene where you defeated Captain Hook and his pirates." He replied. Catherine looked at Grissom and then to her daughter. She smiled at the fact that Grissom's having a hard time talking to Lindsey but Lindsey is talking to him like they were the best of friends, understanding each others flaws. And Lindsey knew that Grissom's flaw was talking to children.

"So, where do you want to eat?" Catherine asked her daughter.

"I don't know mommy." Lindsey said, squinting. 'This is,' thought Catherine, 'her way of showing that she's thinking on something.'

"What about Carl's Jr.?" Catherine asked. Lindsey nodded and gave a resounding yes as she took Grissom's hands and squeezed it like she always did with her dad when she's a happy. Grissom looked at Catherine, as if telling her to do something but Catherine just smiled and shook her head as if telling him to just go with it.

Grissom smiled at Lindsey and helped her to climb up of Catherine's SUV. He opened the door to the passenger seat in front and sat down.

A few minutes later, they arrived in Carl's Jr. "What do you want to eat?" Catherine asked her daughter.

"The usual. What do you want to eat Uncle Gil?" she asked Grissom.

"Whatever you're having" he replied, smiling. Still holding Grissom's hand, Lindsey led him to the table near the plastic slides. 

"So, how's school?" Grissom asked when they were both sitting down.

"It's okay." She replied.

"Do you want to play?" he asked. He knew he was acting a bit aloof to Lindsey.

"No, not really. Why do you like bugs, Uncle Gil? She asked.

"Because…" that question took him by surprise. 'They're much better than people? He thought. 

"…They're interesting." He finished.

"There's this boy in school and he also likes bugs. He has a roomful of them." Lindsey said to him. She looked around and saw her friend.

"Uncle Gil, can I go to my friend? Her name's Zoë and she's over there, and I promise to stay where you can see me." She asked Grissom. 

Grissom creased his eyebrows, deliberating for a moment and finally gave in to Lindsey's persistence.

"OK. Just stay in a place where I can see you. K?" he said. With a smile, Lindsey went to her friend 

A few minutes later, Catherine came back followed by an employee of the place. He was helping her carry the trays. "Hey, where's Lindsey" she asked as she sat down.

"With Zoë, her friend. She's over there." Grissom pointed to the corner.

Lindsey saw her mom sitting down and she took the hand of her friend and rushed towards them, asking "Mom, may I sleep over at Zoë's? There are no classes tomorrow and I promise I'll be a good girl so that I'll not irritate Zoë's mom. Please???" 

Catherine looked at her daughter, then to Grissom and then to Zoë.

"Alright. But eat your dinner first" 

"Okay." She replied and proceeded to eat fast.

"Please Lindsey, not that fast, you might choke." Catherine said as she and Grissom (who was secretly fascinated) watch Lindsey eat.

After a few seconds, Lindsey was all done and went with her friend, promising her mother that she'll stay put for thirty minutes. Catherine watched her daughter's retreating figure and shook her head.

"Kids, they grow up so fast." She said to Grissom.

"Yeah, one day, you're helping them tie their shoelaces, the next thing you know, you're crying at her wedding." Grissom replied.

"That's quite perceptive of you" Catherine said as she took a bite of the hamburger. 

Grissom shrugged and started eating the French fries. He liked Catherine but… there's something holding him back.

Catherine noticed the look on Grissom's face. "Want to share what you're thinking?" she asked.

"Uh… It's nothing; I just thought that Lindsey is a very beautiful child, inside and outside." He replied.

"Of course, she has a beautiful mother." Catherine said, jokingly. She sipped the cola and asked Grissom if he ever considered marrying. 'What a joke. You just can't think of something philosophical' she said to herself.

"Uhmmm… I did. Once actually. But she was in love with somebody else, a friend of mine. We had mutual friends but she… loved him so much… she married him" he replied. 

"Ooh. Did she know?" Catherine asked. The setting that they had is actually funny. Here they are, talking about love and marriage inside a fast food restaurant full of kids.

Grissom smiled and replied, "I think she just thought of me as a friend. Just like Sara believes that Nick thinks of her as a friend." 

Catherine's eyes widened. "You know?" she asked as she took a mouthful of her hamburger again.

"Yes. Of course. I can't be a CSI if I don't know how to observe." Gil replied as he took a bite of his cheeseburger.

"That's why you sent them together in Boston?" Catherine asked, talking with her mouth still full. (A/N- yes, I know, very unlike Catherine)

"No. I let fate decide for me." He answered.

"Huh? I thought you didn't believe in fate." She asked

"Well, I sometimes do believe in it. It's not really a logical thing to say but, sometimes, you can't really help it." He responded.

Catherine nodded her head and they proceeded eating in silence (even if the atmosphere of the place isn't really quiet). She was comfortable with Grissom even if there is no conversation at hand. It was actually relaxing.

The dinner finished with Grissom helping Catherine with Lindsey's things. But the shift has just started and they went back to the case that may or may not get swift justice.

********

****

A WEEK LATER

"Good day to you all. I had missed you in Boston." Nick said to Warrick, Catherine, Greg and Grissom as he and Sara entered the break room.

"Hello Nick. What do you have there?" Greg asked, seeing Nick holding a big pink paper bag.

"A little something I bought from Boston." He replied as he went towards Catherine's direction. "This is for Lindsey." He told Catherine as he gave her the paper bag. Warrick looked at Catherine and mouthed I-told-you-so to her.

"So Nick, aside from shopping for teddy bears in Boston, do you have any interesting leads for us?" Grissom asked as Nick and Sara sat down.

"We do have an interesting lead. You see, Jeremy Ericsson and Elliot Mc Mann, both worked for BLS Company. Their manager told us that on the week of the robbery here, they were at the factory, working 16 hours a day. We checked their log in- log out cards (A/N- I don't what those clock slips are called) and confirmed that what the manager told us was true, but…" Nick stopped and Sara continued the 'tale'

"But when we asked the other employees, they told us that their boss, Jason Thorne who is also the president of the company, asked Ericsson and Mc Mann to do a little private work for him. They bragged about it to a lot of people. They said that they were paid a big sum of money for that little job." Sara said. "Guess where that little 'private job' was held?" she asked

"Here in Sin City." Nick answered.

"So where is Mr. Thorne right now?" Grissom asked. This was a new lead to strengthen the case.

"Here in Vegas. Having a business meeting" Nick replied. He was eyeing Sara, who was listening to Grissom. There was something that happened in Boston that made him see a bit of her University life. Sara glanced up to him and smiled. Grissom was already finishing the tasks for the shift.

"Okay, Nick, take Greg with you and go with Brass. Call me if anything turns up. Warrick, check again the tapes and diskettes that the Chris Johanson gave us, Catherine, Sara, there are a lot of things that were sent here by the Boston PD, can you please take a look at it. If anybody needs me, I'll be at my office, doing paperwork." Gil said as he gave them a resigned smile. He stood up and left the room.

A/N- that's all for now… I don't really know what to do for the next chapter. Thanks for reading, review please J .


	8. chapter eight

Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters nor do I profit when I make them dance in my head. Thank you…

A/N- thank you for reading… I hope it's not that hard to follow…

****

CHAPTER EIGHT

"So, what's with Nick's 'knowing' stare a while ago?" Catherine asked. Sara looked at her.

"What 'knowing' stare?" She asked.

"When you were talking about that horrendous robot-man, Jason Thorne?"

"I don't know what you're talking about. But we met his ex-girlfriend and my ex-boyfriend back in Boston." Sara replied,

"Your exes? How did you respond to that?!" Catherine asked. She wants to know something about Sara that she hadn't shared yet.

"Nothing. The funny thing was, they were engaged." Sara said as she took one of the folders.

"Nick's ex-girlfriend is your ex-boyfriend's fiancée?" Catherine asked.

"Yup. No hard feelings. Heard about you and Grissom. So, how'd it go?" Sara asked. She was a bit jealous that Catherine got to spend a 'non-working' time with Grissom. 'But its okay, Nick was fun in Boston.' She thought.

"Oh, just some talk here and there. He was great with Lindsey, though. He has this fatherly instinct in him, believe it or not." Catherine replied. Grissom was actually… charming, in some sense. Catherine looked at Sara and Sara,, smiled at her. They then proceeded with what Grissom assigned them.

After five hours of searching and dissecting the things the Boston Police Department sent them, Catherine was ready to quit. Sara, on the other hand, was like a kid after eating tons of chocolate. She was still scanning the papers, inspecting the folders. She has boundless of energy.

"Sara, if you're ready to quit let me know, I'm dead tired. Do you want some coffee?" Catherine asked. All the sitting made her feel like jelly.

"Mmm…" was Sara's only reply. She was still reading the papers. Catherine decided to get one for Sara too. Catherine went out of the lay out room and proceeded to the break room.

Nobody was inside, which was natural since Warrick was reviewing the tapes and he already has tons of food inside the AV room, Grissom was with his bugs doing the paperwork, and Nick was with Brass and Greg. 

She was pouring coffee in her mug when she heard Nick's voice going towards the room.

"That prick in the ass will get his day!" he said. He sounded angry.

"Don't get too angry Nick; Jason Thorne is an alligator in a monkey suit." Greg replied and they went in the room

Catherine was finishing pouring a cup for Sara when they went in. 

"Hey Cath." Greg greeted.

Catherine turned around and asked "Let me guess, Mr. Thorne evaded every question regarding his employees?" 

"Yes. Not only that, he insulted the Stokes family" Brass said

"Really? What did he say to make Nicky fuming mad?" she asked

"He said that Nick's dad was a sweat worker's lover and that the only way he got the seat in the Supreme Court was to kiss ass." Greg said.

"He did?" Catherine asked. 'People like that do exist' she thought.

Nick, who was silent the whole time said, "Let's implicate that asshole's butt into this and get his fricking ass in jail!"

"That's not rational, Nick." Grissom suddenly interjected. He was standing near the doorway, listening to every word they were saying.

"Hey, I thought you were doing paper work" Catherine said to him.

"I finished all of them. Besides, aren't you supposed to be with Sara?" Grissom asked

"Yeah. I just got some coffee for me and her." Catherine replied and excused herself out of the room.

"So, what do you got?" Grissom asked after Catherine went out.

"He evaded every question we asked about Jeremy Ericsson and Elliot Mc Mann. He said that he doesn't know them, denies hiring them, and not remembering where he was a few weeks ago." Brass replied.

"So, what are you going to do about it?" Grissom asked them.

"I ran his prints through AFIS." Greg said. The three men looked at him.

"Just to be sure. By the way, did you know that there's a new CSI in day shift? She's working overtime." Greg said.

"Oh, the Reynolds girl? They say she's good." Grissom said. "So, going back to the topic, what are you going to do now?" 

"We're waiting for a warrant" Nick answered. Grissom nodded and looked at Brass, Nick and Greg. Brass looked tired even if the shift isn't that burdensome, Nick looked grumpy and angry while Greg looked eager to work. He's still in the rookie stage but Grissom's thinking of getting another CSI to work for this shift. Besides, Ecklie has two new CSI's

"Uhh… excuse me, but is Mr. Greg Sanders here?" a voice asked. It was a girl, about 27 year's old, with long brown hair and beautiful brown eyes. She was holding a piece of paper.

"Here" Greg replied as he stood up. He looked at her and recognized her. "So, Deia Reynolds, we meet again." He said as he took the piece of paper she was holding out to him. 

"Whatever, Mr. Sanders, here's what you asked for. Goodbye." And with that, she left the room.

"See? I told you something might be amiss" Greg said as he read the paper. He showed it to them so that they can see. "Mr. Thorne has a criminal record. Daddy just gave him a position in his big company." 

"You mean, his father didn't bail him out?" Nick asked. 

"What's his record?" Brass asked.

"Petty theft. Guess whose house?" Greg asked

"Your grand uncle and aunt's house?" Nick asked

"Yes. He's the guy Uncle Mike was talking about. He wanted to press charges because Thorne was sixteen years old and he needs to have some lessons with right and wrong." Greg replied.

"Whoa, that's strike two for those two. I mean if they weren't geniuses with an affluent background with a grandfather who doesn't have a good sense of discipline, they wouldn't have been a hit for revenge." Brass said. It didn't occur to him that what he said weren't understood by Nick and the others.

"Anyway, we can look at the angle of revenge but let's not forget that they were looking for evidence." Grissom said. 

At the same time, Brass' pager began to beep. He looked at it and said, "We've got our warrant." 

*********

"You idiots! I told you to make a clean job!" the man said. He was talking inside his plush office, walking back and forth in the carpet floors.

"The police were here and were asking about you! I want you to finish that work I told you to do. Kill those meddling children if you have to but make sure I will never, ever be implicated because if I will be caught up in this, you'll be the one who'll end up six feet under! Is that understood?" he continued. He was listening for their reply.

"We'll discuss the money after you do what I tell you to do…" and ended the call

'Those children will pay. Never, ever, play with fire kiddies, it might burn you.' he thought and laughed silently. He began to pack his work and started ending his paperwork. The police will be back, this time with a warrant. He's going to hide somewhere, but he intends to kill those meddling children if ever he sees them.

They're going to pay…

A/N- I think its too cheesy… What do you think? Review please… thank you…


	9. chapter nine

Disclaimer: I don't own any of the CSI characters nor did I dream them up. I wished they were but, what will I do with them?

A/N- hello… Thank you for the reviews! Hope you enjoy this chapter! Thanks _ulit_… (it means _again_ in Filipino)

****

CHAPTER NINE

~~~~~~

"Hey Sara." came a greeting from behind. Sara turned around and saw Christianna and Shane coming towards her. They were still in crutches.

"Hey." She greeted. "What are you doing here? Its late." She said. They were inside a 24 hour coffee house.

"Nothing, we're just buying coffee. For me. Hot chocolate for Chris." Shane replied.

"Mom and dad aren't home and we ran out of food." Chris added as she hobbled towards Sara.

"You ran out of food?" Sara asked Christianna, amused.

"Junkfood. Shane ate them with the dogs." Christianna answered. They chatted as Shane paid for the food they bought.

AFTER A FEW MINUTES

"You look irritated." Shane said to Sara as he handed Chris her hot chocolate. Sara was stirring her coffee with an annoyed look on her face.

"It's nothing." Sara replied

"I think she saw LVPD's most meddlesome friend." Christianna said with a harsh tone. Shane peered at the window and saw a pretty blonde woman in a black leather jacket. 

"Rachael Stein?" he asked. He liked the reporter as a person but not her job and it's oftentimes callousness.

"You very well know that we can't run away from her if she thinks of ambush-interviewing us. Sara, maybe, but not us." His twin commented.

"It's ok. Just ignore her." Sara said, joining their conversation

They went out of the coffee shop, with Sara leading, followed by Christianna. Shane was the last to come out of the store. True enough, LVPD's nosiest friend hurried towards them. But Sara was already to her car and Christianna to theirs, only Shane was in her way.

"Good Evening, I'm Rachael Stein of the Las Vegas Sun. I would like to---" she didn't finish what she was saying because she was interrupted by loud screeching of tires. The screeching car stopped in front of the shop and four men emerged carrying big guns. Rachael Stein screamed.

Three shots were heard.

***

Sara, after hearing the gunshots and seeing Shane fall down, ran towards him. She was reaching out for her cellular phone when somebody grabbed her from behind and took her phone away from her. He flung it towards Sara's car and started dragging Sara towards their car. Sara was fighting him but the guy was a lot stronger than her. A cloth was placed over her nose and she blacked out.

***

Christianna rushed towards her brother. She was halfway to their car when the screeching occurred. Shane was shot and she needs to help him. 'My brother needs me…' Christianna frantically thought. She didn't notice that the pain in her leg and ran, ran towards Shane. She was almost there when something hard hit her in the head.

***

Grissom was with Catherine on the break room, when his cell phone rang.

"Griss, we have some problems." Brass said over the phone

***

They left their emotions and fears inside their lockers.

"Oh man, look at this." Nick said as they arrived in the coffee shop. The windows were broken; the parked cars have holes in them. And everybody looked afraid.

"Nick, Warrick, you check the area near the cars. Catherine and Greg will be inside. Let's work fast. Three lives are at stake here." Grissom ordered. He went with Brass towards the ambulance. Shane was barely alive. But the masked men thought he was dead. He tried to speak but the paramedics lifted him off the ground. He was pushed inside the ambulance and was carried off to the hospital.

"That was one lucky young man. The bullets missed his heart with just two inches." The paramedic, who was left, said.

"What are his chances?" Brass asked.

"He's a fighter, he'll live." The paramedic replied.

Brass shook his head. "I say it's Jason Thorne." He whispered to Grissom.

"Maybe, I just hope he really is behind this." Gil replied.

(Meanwhile)

"Hey look at this." Nick said to Warrick. He was holding Sara's cell phone. The screen was cracked but it was working fine. Warrick walked towards him to take a look. Nick checked her calls.

"Her last call was to Brass." Nick said. Warrick took a peek inside Sara's much damaged car.

"What do you think caused this?" Warrick asked, pointing to the dent. It was really weird, like it was caused by a head or something.

"Looks like a… butt of a gun?" Nick asked. "Sara's going to be pissed. Look at the car, its so… bullet infested." He continued. 

Warrick knew that Nick was trying hard to control his fear. But Nick was so damn afraid. Sara's with those people, who has the power to kill the three of them. 'She's going to be back with everything in place.' Nick told himself. Over and over again.

AN HOUR LATER

"Hey… Greg's seething with anger." Catherine told Grissom. He was crouched on the ground, looking at something.

"Whatcha got?" Catherine asked.

"Cigarette butt. It's still fresh." Grissom answered as he took it and bagged it. He stood up and looked at her.

"You okay?" Grissom asked. Everybody has a connection with this girl. They also want Sara to come back alive with everything intact. They stared at each other.

'Yeah. It's just that…" Catherine stopped.

"They're going to be fine. I guess…" Grissom told her. It's a bit of a hopeless comfort. 'I guess?' he thought.

"The shopkeeper said that Shane was lagging behind, apparently because he can't walk with the crutches. They thought he was dead when he fell down the ground." She said.

"He's alive. He's going to live." Grissom replied. "Are you done? Reporters are streaming in…" he continued.

"Yes. Greg's just finishing up." She replied. Grissom gave her a weak smile and they walked together towards their respective cars.

~~~~~~~~~

Sara woke up in a cold, damp, musty place. It was a bit dark and cramped. Her arm was bleeding but it was tied to her back. Her feet were also bounded by a rope. She groaned in pain.

"Hey, you're awake… are you okay?" asked a whispery voice.

It took her a few minutes to recognize the voice.

"Chris? Yeah I'm okay… where are we?" she asked quietly as she tried to adjust her eyes to the dark.

"I don't know but it's damn chilly." She replied. "Ms. Stein is still unconscious." She added. She was trying to break free from the ropes. After a few minutes, she gave up. The ropes were tied too tight. At the same time, their other companion woke up.

"Huh?! Where am I?' she asked to no one in particular. 

"We don't know, so don't ask us. Lower down your voice." Sara replied to her.

"Fine. Is that a window?" she asked. Both Sara and Chris looked to where she was looking.

"I think so…" Sara replied. She was nearer to where Rachael was sitting.

"I see the moon…" Chris said.

With this 'discovery', their hope of escaping or being rescued rose. But with the sense of independence in these women, they rather try escaping than be rescued.

"Dammit, boy's scouts knot." Rachael said a few minutes after seeing the window. She was trying to break free from the knots. She was squirming when she suddenly stiffened. She was near the door and she heard something. Or someone.

"Shush, somebody's coming." Both Sara and Chris stopped squirming and conditioned themselves so that they'll not be afraid. They can now hear the thudding of the footsteps.

The door opened.

A man of great height with hands like garbage can lids stood on the doorway. He took one look at them and told to an unseen man that they were awake.

"What do we do with them?" He asked.

"Nothing. Boss wants to take care of them himself. Personal business." The unseen man replied.

The giant took one last look at them, closed the door and locked it. The three of them sighed with relief.

"Oh my God. I thought we were already going to die." Rachael said. "We need to get out of here." She continued, this time, the panic was heard in her voice.

"Don't panic. The last thing we need to do is panic" Sara replied to her. Then, they started sniping at each other.

"Can you please settle down?" Christianna asked a few seconds after listening to Sara and Rachael's bickering.

"I've undone my rope. Have you undone yours?" Christianna asked, whispering. She knew that both of them hadn't, since they were too busy bickering. Just then, she felt something vibrating in her chest. It was her cellular phone.

"Wait, my phone's ringing." She said, again, in whispers. She took out her phone, which was hidden under her shirt. It was smaller than her palm, given that her hands were bigger than most women, and the phone was blinking like crazy.

"Hello?" she asked in a low voice.

***

"Chris?! Oh my God! Are you okay? Where are you?" Greg asked. Shane told him that Chris was using his phone because he was using hers. The cellular phone was so small it can be hidden when the fist is clench. Nick, Warrick, Catherine, Grissom and Brass were now all scrambling towards Greg, eager to find out where the missing women are.

"You don't know??? A warehouse??? Its cold???" Greg said. He was looking at his colleagues like 'Yes, they're alive!' 

"Sara and Rachael Stein? They're awake?" Greg said again. Nick was mouthing if every one, particularly Sara, was alright

"You can see the moon when you look out of the window? That's not very helpful. Yes, we know that." Greg said, after listening to Chris say that there are about 10 abandoned warehouses in this county.

"Low battery? You? Yes, yes, will be there." He said as he ended the call.

"There are 10 abandoned warehouses in this county, according to my dear cousin. They can see the moon from the window and that the place is cold, musty. What warehouse exhibits those qualities?!"

"Excuse me, but Mr. Thorne owns five warehouses in Vegas. Two of them, in this county." A voice from outside said. It was Deia Reynolds and she went in the room to give Grissom the papers. It was the DNA results of the cigarette butts and a list of Jason Thorne's properties.

"Both warehouses are currently empty, but that doesn't mean that they are being kept in this county." She informed them. 

"Thank you." Grissom said as he took the papers from her. Brass was talking at his phone, asking that he be supplied search warrants for all of Jason Thorne's warehouses.

~~~~~~~

"What in hell are these doing here?" Rachael asked. She was holding a tranq gun.

"Maybe 'the Boss' is going to tranq us then drown us in acid when we're asleep." Chris replied.

"Morbid… you have a morbid sense of humour." She replied to Chris. They exited through the window after they were free of their ropes. It took them a long time to slip out quietly but, the goons haven't noticed their disappearance in the cell.

"That's what they say. Come on…" Chris said. They were creeping out of the warehouse, though Chris was having a difficult time due to her leg. There were on their way out, but saw three men blocking their way. They haven't noticed the three women but they were on alert for any weird sounds.

"Give the tranq to me." Chris ordered Rachael, in a low voice. They were 30 feet away from the goons. Rachael gave her the tranquilizing gun.

"Do you know how to use that?" Sara whispered.

Christianna shot the three men with the tranquilizers swiftly and accurately. The three goons didn't know what hit them and they all slumped in their seats. Sara was amazed.

"Where did you learn that?" Rachael asked.

"Somewhere out there." Chris replied. And they proceeded on to the gates. But they froze when they saw the remaining men with their boss. It was Jason Thorne. They quickly hid behind the tall piles of rubbish.

"Are you sure that the boy is dead?" Jason Thorne asked.

"Yes. Jeremy shot him. He fell down quickly. We didn't shoot the girl, though. You told us that you wished to get even, so we took her and her companions." Elliot Mc Mann said. They were still alive and free.

"That bastard." Sara said viciously. (Still in whispers…). 

"Where are they now?" Thorne asked.

"We locked them in the storage room. Piled them up, actually." Elliot replied.

Thorne laughed. It wasn't what we can call an evil laugh, but it can pass. "Take me to them. Do you have a shotgun?" he asked.

Sara, Rachael and Christianna looked at each other. Shotgun? This is one twisted guy. Christianna automatically checked the darts in the tranquilizing gun. It had three left. Exactly the number of people who are on their way to the now empty storage room. If she uses this now, they will have no choice but to use real guns if ever there are others outside. She quickly made up her mind and moved to get a clear view of Jason Thorne, Elliot Mc Mann and Jason Thorne's bodyguard. Jeremy Ericsson was nowhere to be found.

Christianna took the three shots and successfully made the three of them sleep.

"That was quick. Really, where in the world did you learn that?" Sara asked.

"Just a skill I have. Can I not elaborate?" Chris replied. Where she learned her sharp shooting skills, she doesn't want her friends to know. It might freak them out a bit.

"What if there are others outside?" Rachael asked. 

"Let's worry about those six first. Let's tie them up, then put a gag on their mouths" Sara replied.

"Yeah and hang them upside down. Let them bleed to death from their noses." Christianna added. She hobbled towards the unconscious men and took the guns away from them. She also took Jason Thorne's cellular phone.

"Here, in case we need to call someone again." Chris said as she gave it to Rachael.

They all tied the hands of them men behind their backs. They also tied their feet together. Just to be sure, they linked all of them together and chained the ropes to the metal bars. There is no way that the bounded men are to escape, unless one of them is the reincarnated Houdini.

"You know, I don't really understand why a tranquilizer gun was lying around here. It's a warehouse." Rachael said as they went out of the building.

"Can you please stop asking that inane question? It's starting to annoy me." Sara said. She really thought that Rachael Stein was an intelligent woman. But now…

"Hey, I think I know where we are…" Chris said suddenly. She was so glad that she can at last breathe fresh air. She was a bit of a claustrophobic. Sara and Rachael breathed out a sigh of relief.

"Will we need to call up Brass?" Sara asked. Her arms hurt.

Just then, she saw another goon of Jason Thorne. He raised his hand and started to shoot at them

A/N- Hello. Hope you liked the story… the next chapter's going to be the last… I think…


	10. chapter ten

Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters, nor do I profit when I write these fictions. Thank you…

A/N- Hello. Thank you for the reviews. I sometimes wish that you, readers, also watch Alias, so that you can review my fics for that show. But then again, you can't have everything… anyway, I'm sorry for the delay of this chapter. School's a bit hectic. Enjoy!

****

CHAPTER TEN

"Run!!!" Rachael said as the three of them scrambled for cover. They all ended up hiding behind a blue truck, almost out of view from the gunman. The evil Thorne henchman was still firing all his weapons.

"Give me the cell phone!" Sara demanded to the reporter.

"Wha? What???" she asked.

"Give me the goddamn phone!!!" Sara shouted, amidst noise of the gunshots.

'Her left arm's bleeding." Christianna interjected, as she went to the reporter's side. Sara was seated in the middle of the two, with Rachael on her right, Chris on the left.

"Here…" Rachael handed the cell phone to Sara.

Sara looked at her, as if apologizing for the outburst, and punched three numbers, 911.

Just then the shooting stopped. Everything seemed still. The three women looked at each other.

"Did he stop shooting?" Rachael asked, whispering. Chris peeked at the bottom of the truck and saw a pair of feet coming to the parked trucks.

"Yes, because he's looking for us. Give me a gun." She asked Sara.

Sara, who was now talking on the phone, handed one of the guns she took from the now-chained men, confident that Christianna can handle a nine millimeter.

"Where are we?" Sara asked.

"5 miles from the strip." Christianna replied, creeping towards the tail end of the truck.

'Ow, ow, ow…' she thought as she felt the pain in her broken leg, and waited for the madman/gunman.

Sara was still talking on the phone when Christianna motioned them to approach to where she is. Sara helped Rachael up, and hid her from view. She then approached the young girl.

"You have another gun, right?" Christianna asked her.

"Yes. What do you suggest we do?" Sara asked back. If they will come out of this situation alive, she can laugh at the reversal of roles because she, the supposedly more experienced in unknown dangers, is asking the 'rookie' on what to do. But then, they are still in danger.

"I don't know. But he's reloading his guns. What do you want to do?"

They looked at each other. They are so afraid right now. They hadn't been caught up in a situation like this before.

"Shoot to kill." Christianna suddenly whispered.

"What?!" Sara asked, shocked at Christianna's resolution.

"Shoot to kill. Its either we die, or he dies."

"We can't do that!"

"Rachael dies?" Christianna meekly and innocently asked.

"Don't make jokes like that. Okay, we'll just split up, trap him. I'll go to the left, you go to the right. Okay?" Sara asked.

"Okay."

"On the count of three… one… two… THREE!"

They separated. Sara bided her time. Christianna was slow, with a broken, bleeding leg, who's not going to be? And she might need assistance when she was the one trapped by the madman. Her heart was pounding hard, as if it wants to come out of her body and be free of her. She can now hear slow footsteps coming her way. To trap or not to trap, that is her question.

'It's now or never.' Sara thought as she squeezed her eyes shut, fishing for courage, and a natural pain killer---for her painful, blood soaked arm, a combination of hers and the reporter's. She then showed herself to the owner of the feet with her gun pointing towards him/her.

She saw him give her a twisted smile. He had other guns strapped to his body. He was like Rambo, minus the war paint.

"Hello dearie. Where are the others?" He asked with a perverted menace in his voice. He was pointing an AK-47 at her.

"Put down your guns." Sara calmly ordered him.

"No, I think you should be the one to do that." He replied, motioning her to put down her gun.

She didn't budge. She has no chance to fight this madman if she's unarmed. 'You don't have a chance at all, if you compare your fire power with his.' She thought.

"Come on. Don't worry, I'm not going to shoot you." he said then laughed. A loony, a total mental.

She still has her gun pointed at him. But then her would-be-shooter spotted Rachael Stein. 'Oh my god.' She thought.

"Oh, the little shrieking blonde." He said and turned started to approach the reporter but his gun, still trained on Sara. 

"Okay, okay, I'm putting my gun down." Sara called out, and proceeded to lower down her firearm.

The madman glanced at her. "Very good. Join the blonde. The other one's a red head right? She's not really hard to miss, I got her already." He cackled. Sara, shocked that Chris was already shot, didn't move. He looked at her with a really evil glance.

"You know patience is not really my virtue." He said to her.

"No. Let my friend go." Sara said to him.

The madman sighed, and took a pistol from his pocket. He looked at Rachael first, then to Sara.

"I guess you're the second one to go." He told Sara as he aimed the gun at her.

Sara can't breathe. She was going to die. She was going to die without telling her mother and father that she loves them, telling Grissom what she really feels, slap Hank in the face for fooling her and hug her friends.

She squeezed her eyes shut, preparing herself for the pain, the rush of blood out of her body.

'I'm going to be a crime scene.' She thought.

She heard three shots fired.

'Oh my god… Am I dead?' she thought. Is this the feeling of being dead? Not really feeling the pain? Feeling the same? But then she felt someone… hug her?

Sara opened her eyes.

"Idiot woman, why did you do that?" she heard him ask. She recognized the voice.

"Nick? What are you doing here?" she asked, perplexed.

"I came with Brass, together with Warrick, Grissom and Greg." He replied, still in embracing her. He got so angry and yet so afraid when he saw Sara standing in front of that twisted psycho, preparing herself to be shot.

"Chris! Chris got shot!" She said to him, panicking, but found herself too tired, too out of breath to rush to her friend. She felt her knees buckle.

"She's okay; she wasn't shot by your madman. He mistook a tree branch for her head. She told us." Nick added. He likes the feel of Sara in his arms, even if temporary.

Sara let out a deep breath and savored the feeling physical contact with another person.

One hundred feet away from them, Warrick gently jabbed Grissom. When Grissom looked at him, Warrick discreetly pointed Nick and Sara who were still in an embrace. Grissom observed them for a while and went on with his business. Greg was with his cousin, accompanying her to the hospital, taking the responsibility of calling up his aunt and uncle.

Warrick rolled his eyes, a reaction to Grissom's reaction. He surmised that he's carrying his torch for another person. 

'Like Catherine.' He thought. But gossips are not to be relied on. Better hear the information from the cow's mouth.

*********

THREE WEEKS LATER

"So… you've already chosen a new CSI?" Warrick asked Grissom. They were in Grissom's office. Grissom informed them of his idea two weeks ago. Mobley agreed to his plans since he allowed Ecklie to get a new CSI.

"Will we know who it's going to be?" Nick asked, standing beside Warrick. Sara and he were still friends. He can't afford to lose his friendship to the woman he loves but who doesn't really know his true feelings.

"Or will it be a surprise?" Sara asked. Her arm was in a sling, but it was okay now. She was seated next to Catherine. Catherine and Brass were the only persons who know the identity of the new CSI. But Sara, Nick, Warrick and Greg, who was in the lab, don't know that.

"Before I tell you who it's going to be, I want to tell you that Jason Thorne's trial will be this Friday, together with his 'mob'." Grissom said, organizing his papers.

"So…?" Nick coaxing Grissom to continue.

"Well, the prospective CSI is young, has excellent credentials, excellent records, a bit of a workaholic, has a bright future even outside this occupation." Grissom replied, careful not to mention any pronouns.

"And we're not?" Catherine kidded.

"I'm not saying that. The future CSI also has good communicating skills, verbal or non verbal, very observant." Grissom continued.

"Come on, Griss, stop stalling." Warrick said.

"Well then, I hope you get along with the most underestimated and unappreciated CSI in the Boston Police Department." Grissom answered.

"Boston Police Department? You mean... Christianna?" Nick said, breaking into a smile.

"Yes. Christianna Johanson, CSI Level One. Do you have any objections?" Grissom replied.

They all shook their heads. It was a good choice. They get along fine, she's cheerful, she's young, and she's good, as her records said. 

"Catherine, you knew!" Sara said, after seeing Catherine's expression, a 'yes-I-knew' expression.

"Yes. So what?" Catherine joked.

Sara stuck out her tongue. Sara can sense something between Catherine and Grissom. Can the rumors be trusted?

"The Johanson's are inviting us for dinner, this Wednesday. Can you all come?" Catherine asked them.

"I can." Sara said, first.

"Me too." Warrick replied.

"Me three." Nick said.

"Well then, I guess that's all our meeting's about. Go home guys, get some sleep." Grissom ordered them.

They all stood up and went out of the room.

Grissom discreetly observed them as they all went out. Subtle glances, telltale signs of tiredness. It was all in days work. And they're going to keep on doing it, give people justice, closure.

~End~

A/N- Yey! Finish!!!! So… what do you think? I'm thinking of following it with another story with the original character in it, crossovers with other tv shows, that blah…. Anyway… thank you for reading, please review. Thank you!


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